Make People Better Podcast - Valley of Shadow

Valley of Shadow

04/12/23 • 61 min

The technology companies driving the genomic revolution are modeling themselves after their predecessors in Silicon Valley. Many bioethicists take note that the same value system, often a mix of new age spiritualism mixed with a tech ethic of “go fast and break things,” is being used as a justification to move the technologies of life far past government regulations and what the rest of society is prepared for spiritually. But even as the new genomic revolution is getting started, Silicon Valley is entering into a period of self-reflection. Our guides for this discussion are Gaymon Bennet, a philosopher at Arizona State university and Barry Brown, the founder of Human (ethos) and an advisor to Singularity University.

Episode Guests

Barry Brown has been involved in the field of individual and team transformation for the past 30 years.

Gaymon Bennet works on the problem of modernity in contemporary religion and biotechnology: its shifting moral economies, contested power relations, and uncertain modes of subjectivity.

Reference links for this episode

https://www.google.com/search?q=gaymon+bennet&rlz=1C9BKJA_enUS999US999&oq=gaymon+bennet&aqs=chrome..69i57.2233j0j4&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#ip=1
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/19/dark-side-of-tech-silicon-valley-guardian
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11464826/
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/23/opinion/google-big-tech-work-culture.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

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Credits
Written and Edited by Cody Sheehy
Produced by Samira Kiani
Music By Tyler Strickland
Impact production by Megan Friend
Recorded by Cody Sheehy and Samira Kiani
Additional Recording By Galen McCaw
Sound design and mixing by Kim Christensen
Supporting materials by Cody Sheehy
Social media and marketing by Megan Friend, Amna Vegha, and Marci Fiamengo
Website by Craig Boesewetter
Legal by W. Wilder Knight II
Executive production by Randall Gebhardt and Christopher Gebhardt

Episode Guests

Barry Brown has been involved in the field of individual and team transformation for the past 30 years.

Gaymon Bennet works on the problem of modernity in contemporary religion and biotechnology: its shifting moral economies, contested power relations, and uncertain modes of subjectivity.

Reference links for this episode

Support the show

Previous Episode

Bioterror

The last 20 years of history have been bookended by two events. 9/11 and Covid-19. Many security experts believe that as cheap and easy-to-use gene editing tech proliferates, the occurrence of intentional release of publicly available viruses like smallpox or engineered variants of bird flu will be released for ideological reasons. Is there a plan to keep us safe? We start with special agent Edward You, formerly the director for the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, who is leading the U.S. government’s defense. In this episode we also talk with Richard Carmona, the former United States Surgeon General who was also tasked with this in his tenure, Harvard’s Sam Weiss Evans, and Michael Hopmeier who is a biosecurity expert.

Episode Guests

Richard Carmona is an American physician, nurse, police officer, public health administrator, and politician.

Sam Weiss Evans focuses on the governance of security concerns in emerging research technology, especially biology.

Edward You is currently on a Joint Duty Assignment at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) serving as the National Counterintelligence Officer for Emerging and Disruptive Technologies.

Michael Hopmeier is the president of Unconventional Concepts, and consult of matters of homeland security.

Reference links for this episode

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/news-blog/is-a-bioterrorism-attack-in-the-us-2008-12-02/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIscOy7o6v_QIVUjmtBh3szw9hEAMYASAAEgIRQvD_BwE

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/world/nightmare-bioterrorism?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=gap_ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIp6LZ9I6v_QIVoxnnCh3LfATKEAMYASAAEgIek_D_BwE

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Next Episode

Science Fiction

As a filmmaker, Cody is acutely aware of how Hollywood films has shaped his perception of genetic engineering. Ridley Scott’s masterpiece, Blade Runner, was present for him during the entire process of making the documentary Make People Better. During shoots, they often joked that the documentary could have been shot on one of Mr. Scotts film sets. How is it that we so often set out to create the world we see in science fiction? We sit down with the writer and producer of Stargate SG1, one of the longest running Sci-fi franchises in history. Robert Cooper is more than a shaper of where science goes, he also suffers from a rare genetic disease. Who better to be our guide for the future of the genomic revolution?
Episode Guests
Robert Cooper is a Canadian writer and producer best known for his work in the Stargate franchise. He was formerly an executive producer of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe. He also co-created both Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe with Brad Wright. Cooper has written and produced many episodes of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe as well as directed a number of episodes.
Reference links for this episode
https://www.forbes.com/sites/arunshastri/2021/08/03/read-before-assembly-the-influence-of-sci-fi-on-technology-and-design/?sh=5d0d3316220b
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_Shock
https://www.mgm.com/television/stargate-sg-1

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