In this episode, philosopher, author and cofounder of H+ David Pearce joins us to discuss his concept of the hedonistic imperative, which is the argument that we have a moral obligation to end the suffering of not just all humanity but all sentient life. We discuss his terms “Hedonic Set Point” and “Hedonic Treadmill” and how these phenomena combine to keep most people at about the same amount of happiness, even if they win the lottery or lose the use of their legs. We discuss the feasibility of using prenatal screening to raise our children’s hedonic set points, and the farther-off possibility of using in-vivo genetic modification or future drug therapies to raise our own. It’s a fun and wide-ranging conversation that we think you’re going to really like. Check it out!
Relevant Links
- The Hedonistic Imperative
- H+
- Modern Meadow
- CRISPR Technology
- Wikipedia article: The Hedonic Treadmill
- Video of extremely happy Anders Sandberg