David Pearce
"A biosphere without suffering is technically feasible. In principle, science can deliver a cruelty-free world that lacks the molecular signature of unpleasant experience. Not merely can a living world support human life based on genetically preprogrammed gradients of human well-being. If carried to completion, the abolitionist project entails ecosystem redesign, depot-contraception, marine nanorobots, rewriting the vertebrate genome, and harnessing the exponential growth of computational resources to manage a compassionate global ecosystem. Ultimately, it's an ethical choice whether intelligent moral agents opt to create such a world - or instead express our natural status quo bias and perpetuate the biology of suffering indefinitely." David Pearce is a British philosopher who is a proponent of abolitionism, a negative utilitarian philosophy. The abolitionist* philosophy and movement deal with eliminating suffering for all sentient life. Pearce argues that there is a moral imperative to work towards the abolishment of suffering in the world and believes the best way to accomplish it is through biotechnology. His book The Hedonistic Imperative (1995) is available for free online. In it he explains his philosophy and proposes methods for abolishing suffering. His ultimate aim is for humans to achieve superintelligence and superhappiness, but he believes that ending suffering is the most critical thing. Pearce's opinion is that not even dramatic changes in economic, health or other environmental factors will contribute significantly to improving happiness. He references studies that indicate that people are born with predetermined set-points of happiness (or unhappiness). It is very difficult to permanently change one's set-point in either direction, although there is some evidence that extreme and prolonged stress can drive it downward. The phrase hedonic treadmill is used to refer to the phenomenon of an individual's level of happiness fluctuating around its genetically predetermined set-point, even in the face of extremely good or bad events in life. Because of the biological nature of the human happiness architecture, Pearce argues that a drastic reduction in suffering requires drastic interventions such as genetic engineering. He believes that sometime in this century it will be possible to recalibrate this biological set-point by repairing our genetic code. His ideal state of mind is one in which we experience great happiness while at the same time maintaining critical thinking ability. He would like to see humans be able to achieve previously unknown states of happiness, similar to euphoria accompanied by heightened motivation and enhanced cognitive function. He sees no need for social and intellectual development to be at odds with perpetual happiness. Pearce envisions humans of the future possessing a new motivational system that does not require pain and suffering but is instead based on gradients of well-being. Pearce researches the use of drugs to improve mental well-being, but believes that at the present time there are no drugs that will make a major difference for most people. To reach the ceiling of our current possible level of well-being, he currently recommends regular aerobic exercise and a diet that emphasizes vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds together with EFA supplementation. He notes that, depending on the sensitivity of their dopamine/noradrenaline systems, some people benefit from emphasizing serotonin-boosting foods such as carbohydrates and high-tryptophan foods like pecans, bananas and chickpeas. He thinks that in the future there will be drugs to enhance and extend our positive mental states, but their role will be a supplemental one. The most significant changes will come from improving the human genome. Nonhuman animals are included in his plans as well. In contrast to some other utilitarian philosophers, Pearce does not believe that humans should ever use animals if it causes the animals to suffer. Evidence indicates that all vertebrates have a similar capacity to suffer. He points out that some, such as whales, have even larger pain centers than humans. David Pearce hopes for more than an end to animals suffering at the hands of humans. He hopes to someday see an end to all animal predation as well. He believes it will be possible in the future for not only humans but also nonhuman animals to be vegan, although he acknowledges that the ecosystem redesign it would require is an enormous task that will require advanced nanotechnology. Pearce himself is a longtime vegan. His views on the best ways to improve the lot of animals over the next century are more modest. He advocates vegan education and is interested in the development of cultured meat. In 1998 David Pearce and his colleague Professor Nick Bostrom co-founded the World Transhumanist Organization, which has since been renamed Humanity+. According to Pearce, it is "the largest organization with a commitment to improving the well-being of all sentient life." The abolition of suffering is one of its many strands of transhumanist thought. According to Bostrom, Pearce's major contribution is the insight that "in the long run, direct manipulation of brains will have vastly greater impact on subjective well-being than any environmental interventions could possibly have." Pearce is co-founder and Honorary President of the Abolitionist Society, which is headed by Sean Henderson. The aim of the Abolitionist Society is to end all non-voluntary suffering in sentient beings, primarily through scientific means such as genetic engineering and nanotechnology. Pearce has set up numerous websites dedicated to abolitionism, animal advocacy and psychopharmacology research, as well as essays about subjects such as perception and the nature of reality. They can be accessed through his main site, HedWeb. David Pearce encourages anyone interested in abolitionism to add him as a friend on Facebook.
Q&A Segment of David Pearce's Talk on Superhappiness in Second Life on March 23, 2008WebsitesHedWebUtilitarianism ResourcesBLTC ResearchBooksThe Hedonistic Imperative
|
