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
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