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The Hedonistic Imperative is a manifesto by David Pearce outlining the goals of an endeavor to use genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and neuroscience to eliminate suffering in all sentient life. David Pearce is a British philosopher who promotes the abolition of suffering in all sentient life. ...
An iconic image of genetic engineering; this autoluminograph from 1986 of a glowing transgenic tobacco plant bearing the luciferase gene of the firefly, illustrating the possibilities of genetic engineering. ...
Molecular gears from a NASA computer simulation. ...
Neuroscience is a field of study that deals with the structure, function, development, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, and pathology of the nervous system, consisting of the myriad nerve pathways running throughout the body. ...
Sentience is a capacity for basic consciousness—the ability to feel or perceive, not necessarily including the faculty of self-awareness. ...
Pearce mainly argues from a utilitarian ethic. If we assume happiness is equivalent to value, he asserts, then our goal should necessarily be the abolition of suffering and the instating of continual happiness for all conscious organisms. Pearce's idealistic ontological views also lead him to conclude that no living thing should be exempt from the abolitionist program. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
People often show that they are happy by smiling. ...
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Idealism is an approach to philosophical enquiry which asserts that direct and immediate knowledge can only be had of ideas or mental pictures. ...
In philosophy, ontology (from the Greek , genitive : of being (part. ...
Furthermore, by rejecting dualism, Pearce opens the door to nontraditional means of attaining his goal. If mental states are equivalent to physical states (or if there are no physical states, or if mental states are causally inert (the view of epiphenomenalists)), then—at least in theory—we can scientifically determine the neurological basis of happiness. At this point we would have the option of chemically or genetically ensuring permanent happiness for all organisms. It has been suggested that Combative dualism be merged into this article or section. ...
Epiphenomenalism is the view in philosophy of mind according to which physical events have mental effects, but mental events have no effects of any kind. ...
Criticisms
Since Pearce's theory holds views conflicting with free will and personal liberty, considering pleasure rather than freedom as 'ultima ratio', the risk of global totalitarianism has been raised by critics. Totalitarianism is a typology employed by political scientists, especially those in the field of comparative politics, to describe modern regimes in which the state regulates nearly every aspect of public and private behavior. ...
Sean Henderson of the Abolitionist Society counters that free-will is an illusion. However, the will power of the human race can be increased by maximizing the subjective happiness of all - arguing that the maximization of subjective happiness is the inherent drive of all humans - though our genetic design prevents the satisfaction of this drive. Henderson also maintains that it will be necessary to cater to the illusion of free-will in order to teach humans to behave in ways that contribute to the good of the whole. However, he believes that if we can change human design so that we are motivated to collaborate rather than dominate each other - the illusion of free-will will become obsolete.
The existence of such a utopia has been portrayed in fiction in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Of particular interest regarding this book is its clear and lucid portrayal of such a hypothetical society. (However, it should be noted that Pearce does not agree that Huxley's portrayal is the inevitable outcome of such a society. He has written a detailed and extensive critique and rejection of Brave New World.) While Huxley disapproved of such a dystopia, the book is extremely open to personal interpretation, with no force-fed stance present in the book. A more overtly optimistic view of the implementation of a similar idea was portrayed in Octavia Butler's trilogy Lilith's Brood. It has been suggested that utopianism be merged into this article or section. ...
Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (pronounced ) (July 26, 1894 – November 22, 1963) was an English writer who immigrated to the United States. ...
Original book cover of Brave New World. ...
Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 — February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction writer, one of very few African-American women in the field. ...
Pearce's views also contrast starkly with schools of thought which do not hold human happiness as the ultimate source of value. Compare, for instance, the popular interpretation of the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, which holds the "Will To Power", or, loosely interpreted, the craving for the power to affect, as the fundamental driving force of nature, although even this could be held as simply a means to obtaining happiness as the ultimate goal. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Compare This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...
Buddhist Flag Buddhism (also known as Buddha Dharma, the teachings of the awakened one) is not a religion, but a way of life, a practical philosophy, and arguably a psychology, focusing on the teachings of Gautama Buddha (Pali: Gotama Buddha), who lived on the Indian subcontinent in or around the...
See also The Abolitionist Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of sentient suffering by means of re-engineering the biological substrates of consciousness, especially the brain. ...
Hedonism (Greek: hēdonē pleasure + –ism) describes any way of thinking that gives pleasure a central role. ...
Natasha Vita-Mores Primo Posthuman Transhumanism (sometimes abbreviated >H or H+) is an international intellectual and cultural movement supporting the use of new sciences and technologies to enhance human physical and cognitive abilities and ameliorate what it regards as undesirable and unnecessary aspects of the human condition, such as...
It has been suggested that utopianism be merged into this article or section. ...
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