17: Biohacking, Implants, and DIY Science with Jacob Boss

DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today

The main topic we will be discussing together is Jacob Boss’s research on transhumanism. Transhumanism is a movement of people dedicated to using technology to transform humanity and to radically change the human condition. Jacob’s specific area of research is on a group of transhumanists known as Grinders. This group is highly interested in body modification through do-it-yourself science and technology.
Jacob Boss is a doctoral candidate in Religious Studies at Indiana University. Jacob teaches widely, serving as instructor of record or associate instructor in the Departments of Religious Studies, Informatics, and the Collins Living-Learning Center. He is an editorial assistant for the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, and the co-founder of the Human Augmentation Research Network, hosted by the Center for Religion and the Human at Indiana University. He is a part of the Human Enhancement and Transhumanism unit of the American Academy of Religion.

The key questions for this episode are: What does it mean to have body autonomy in an era of powerful technology? How will our ideas of self-expression change? How are grassroots movements like the grinders related to more corporatized movements within transhumanism itself? How far should we go in pursuit of new technologies that may relieve our pains and illnesses?
About Jacob:
https://religiousstudies.indiana.edu/about/graduate-students/boss-jacob.html
https://twitter.com/jaarboss
Potentially helpful links:
https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/the-anatomy-riot-of-1788

https://www.wired.com/story/this-diy-implant-lets-you-stream-movies-from-inside-your-leg/

https://www.wired.com/2010/12/transcending-the-human-diy-style/
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-46442519

https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2020/10/06/a-very-kind-conversation-between-a-cyborg-and-some-biohackers/

Credits:

Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com
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