David Pearce (philosopher)
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David Pearce | |
|---|---|
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| Born | |
| Nationality | British |
| Citizenship | British |
| Alma mater | Brasenose College, Oxford |
| Known for | The Hedonistic Imperative |
David Pearce is a British utilitarian philosopher.[1][2] He believes and promotes the idea that there exists a strong ethical imperative for humans to work towards the abolition of suffering in all sentient life. His book-length internet manifesto The Hedonistic Imperative[3][non-primary source needed] details how he believes the abolition of suffering can be accomplished through "paradise engineering". A transhumanist and a vegan,[4] Pearce also calls for the elimination of cruelty to animals.
In The Hedonistic Imperative, Pearce outlines how technologies such as genetic engineering, nanotechnology, pharmacology, and neurosurgery could potentially converge to eliminate all forms of unpleasant experience in human life and produce a posthuman civilization.[5]
Pearce runs a web hosting company.[6]
Affiliations
Pearce is the owner of BLTC Research, a website that was set-up by Pearce in 1995. Based in Kemptown, Brighton, UK, the site publishes online texts in support of the biochemical and biotechnological methods by which its proponents believe sentient suffering could be abolished in future generations.[7][non-primary source needed]
In 1998, Pearce co-founded the World Transhumanist Association (WTA) with Nick Bostrom, an Oxford philosopher.[8] The association, which later changed its name to Humanity+, advocates transhumanism — an ideology and movement which has emerged to support the recognition and protection of the right of citizens either to maintain or modify their own minds and bodies so as to guarantee them the freedom of choice and informed consent of using human enhancement technologies on themselves and their children.
In 2002 Pearce co-founded the Abolitionist Society with Pablo Stafforini, Sean Henderson, and Jaime Savage, in order to help promote the idea of abolitionism of suffering and to discuss the implications involved with a wider range of audience.[9]
Pearce sits on the board of Elsevier's journal Medical Hypotheses [10] and holds a position at the advisory board of Lifeboat Foundation.[11]
See also
References
- ^ Will Drugs Make Us Smarter and Happier?. Popular Science. 2005.
- ^ Bostrom, Nick (2005). "A History of Transhumanist Thought" (PDF). 14 (1). Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "The Hedonistic Imperative".
- ^ "Criação animal intensiva. Um outro Holocausto?". Revista do Instituto Humanitas Unisinos. 2011.
- ^ "The Genomic Bodhisattva". H+ Magazine. 2009-09-16. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
- ^ Lifeboat Foundation Bios: David Pearce
- ^ "Paradise Engineering : The BLTC Library".
- ^ "Humanity+ FAQ #45".
- ^ The Abolitionist Society. "Abolitionism". Archived from the original on February 1, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Medical Hypotheses' Editorial Board".
- ^ "Lifeboat Foundation's Futurist Board".
External links
- Vanity Fair interview with Pearce
- Russian magazine interview with Pearce
- A World Without Suffering? An interview with David Pearce - by Marcia Rosane Junges[dead link]
- NanoAging interviews Pearce
- Bostrom and Pearce interviewed by Cronopis
- The Genomic Bodhisattva (James Kent interviews David Pearce in Humanity+ magazine)
- Proposed deletion as of 29 September 2012
- 20th-century philosophers
- 21st-century philosophers
- Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford
- British philosophers
- British technology writers
- English diarists
- English essayists
- English science writers
- English vegans
- Living people
- People from Brighton
- Transhumanists
- Utilitarians