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Every book Jonathan Anomaly recommended on podcasts
Jonathan Anomaly appeared on Modern Wisdom to discuss human genetic enhancement, embryo selection, and the bioethical future of humanity. Throughout his appearances, Anomaly referenced several pivotal works of science and philosophy to ground his arguments. He recommended Life at the Speed of Light by J. Craig Venter, highlighting the pioneering geneticist's work on synthetic biology and digital life as a window into the future of biological engineering. To address complex ethical puzzles regarding identity and the value of future lives, Anomaly frequently discussed Derek Parfit's influential 1984 philosophical text Reasons and Persons. He also referenced historical context by mentioning Francis Galton's Hereditary Genius to examine early studies on human trait inheritance, and he brought up Michael J. Sandel's book The Case Against Perfection to evaluate traditional philosophical arguments opposing genetic enhancement technologies. Through these references, Anomaly framed his bioethical arguments within a rich dialogue of historical genetics and modern philosophy.
Books recommended by Jonathan Anomaly
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Life At The Speed Of Light From The Double Helix To The Dawn Of Digital Life
Life At The Speed Of Light From The Double Helix To The Dawn Of Digital Life by J.
Recommended“and in fact one book about the future of this is by Craig Venter who was the first to sequence the human genome in the year 2000 and he does a lot of what's called synthetic biology now but his book is called life at the speed of light”
Where to get it
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Hereditary Genius
Hereditary Genius by Francis Galton is an 1869 foundational text that attempted to prove human intelligence and success are primarily inherited traits.
Discussed“and his cousin Francis Galton who studied the ready of specific traits that we care about in humans intelligence so he wrote a book called hereditary genius but also just banal traits like height and skin color and hair texture and stuff like that”
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Reasons and Persons
Discussed“So, um, a Brit named Derek Parett, a famous philosopher, wrote a book in 1984 called Reasons and Persons.”
Where to get it
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The Case Against Perfection
The Case Against Perfection by Michael J.
Discussed“old argument from Michael sandel at Harvard against using these Technologies was hypothetical at the time it's called the case against Perfection”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| What Embryo Selection Means for Humanity - Jonathan Anomaly - #1017 | Modern Wisdom | 2025-11-08 | 2 |
| The Wild Ethics Of Human Genetic Enhancement - Dr Jonathan Anomaly - #598 | Modern Wisdom | 2023-03-06 | 3 |