Rob Wilson - UWA Philosophy Professor discusses eugenics & singularity

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/67/9a/75/679a7504-666e-d0b7-5424-099db9731876/mza_1553769310422256719.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

Rational Grounds with Diogo Cohea

www.diogocohea.com

108 episodes

1 day ago

Dive into the realm of ideas with Rational Grounds, the podcast where philosophy, ethics, and politics intersect. Each episode unpacks complex concepts, debates, and dilemmas, stripping them down to their core to uncover a rational understanding. Thought-provoking discussions and clear-eyed explorations that challenge perspectives and promote deeper understanding. Let’s find the rational grounds to complex ideas. Note: Rational Grounds was the first podcast in Australian history to be legally blocked by the courts. We won the court case and were reinstated.

Society & Culture

RSS

All content for Rational Grounds with Diogo Cohea is the property of www.diogocohea.com and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Society & Culture

https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode/41567619/41567619-1745320069382-eded9fedea281.jpg

Rob Wilson - UWA Philosophy Professor discusses eugenics & singularity

Rational Grounds with Diogo Cohea

1 hour 13 minutes 47 seconds

6 months ago

Rob Wilson - UWA Philosophy Professor discusses eugenics & singularity

The Dark History of Eugenics, AI Ethics & Transhumanism with Prof. Rob Wilson on Rational Grounds

This episode blends academic curiosity, moral urgency, and philosophical intrigue.

What does it mean to be human in an age of AI and transhumanism? In this deep, mind-bending episode of Rational Grounds, Professor Rob Wilson — UWA's Professor of Philosophy — unpacks everything from the dark legacy of eugenics to the future of race, disability, AI ethics, and kinship. With stories from Nazi Germany to modern Canada and Australia, this conversation challenges assumptions about progress, identity, and morality in science and society.

📘 Rob’s new book Kin Matters will be out latter this year through Oxford University Press. in the meantime you can find an abstract and pdf here: https://philarchive.org/rec/WILKMR

(00:00:00) Intro – Welcome to Rational Grounds with Prof. Rob Wilson

(00:01:00) Rob’s working-class roots & accidental discovery of philosophy

(00:04:00) First exposure to philosophy through a school detour

(00:06:00) The meaning of “I think, therefore I am”

(00:09:00) Rob’s turn to philosophy of science

(00:10:00) Kinship, incest, and anthropology – preview of Kin Matters

(00:13:30) What are “the fragile sciences”?

(00:17:00) Eugenics explained: history, ideology, and moral danger

(00:22:00) Cultural eugenics in Australia vs. sterilization in Nazi Germany

(00:26:00) Canada's eugenics program – personal stories & sterilization boards

(00:28:00) The Alberta lawsuits & survivor testimonies

(00:33:00) Intergenerational trauma & Indigenous Australia

(00:36:00) Is race biological? Skin tone and the myth of genetic categories

(00:39:00) Disability, desirability & ethics of genetic screening

(00:42:00) Race generalizations vs. scientific complexity

(00:46:00) Transhumanism: Better humans or deeper inequality?

(00:50:00) Billionaires, Mars & the politics of technological utopias

(00:53:00) Who really benefits from new tech?

(00:56:00) Vaccine skepticism, autism fears & public responsibility

(00:58:00) Final thoughts on eugenics, ethics, and philosophical vigilance

If you enjoy this episode consider following, rating it 5 star and sending it to a friend.