Gennady Stolyarov II

Gennady Stolyarov II (born c. 1987) is an American libertarian and transhumanist writer and civil servant known for his book Death is Wrong.[1][2] Other works of his have been published by the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies,[3] Le Québécois Libre,[4] the Mises Institute,[5] and his own online publication, The Rational Argumentator.[6] Stolyarov also leads two transhumanist political parties and works as an actuary and insurance regulator in Nevada.[7][8][9]

Gennady Stolyarov II
Born1987 (age 33–34)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materHillsdale College
Occupation
  • Writer
  • activist
  • actuary
Notable work
Death is Wrong
Political partyTranshumanist
WebsiteThe Rational Argumentator

Early life

Stolyarov lived in Minsk, Belarus, at a young age.[10] After migrating to the United States and becoming an American citizen, he attended Hillsdale College with a triple major in economics, German, and mathematics.[11] Robert P. Murphy called Stolyarov his "best student at Hillsdale College".[12]

Career

Stolyarov is an actuary as well as a writer.[3][9] He has been highly influenced by the philosophy of Ayn Rand.[13] His writings include science fiction, philosophical essays, poetry, and study guides.[3][5] He has also published his own musical compositions and a series of podcasts called the G + W Audio Broadcasts with his former wife, Wendy.[5]

In February 2014, Stolyarov started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to give his children's book, Death is Wrong, to 1000 children.[1] In the book, he argues that death is an enemy[2] and encourages readers to help overcome it using technology.[1] Joelle Renstrom, writing for Future Tense, criticized the book by calling it "creepy" and saying, "Kids could grow up not just afraid of death, but also afraid of failing to fix it."[1] Meghan Neal of Motherboard also called the book "creepy" but noted, "Wacky as this still all sounds, he may have a point."[2] B. J. Murphy of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies called Death is Wrong a "wonderful children's book" and wrote, "This is the book I wish I'd have read as a young child."[14] Zoltan Istvan, in his transhumanist column for Psychology Today, agreed with Murphy, adding, "I thought the book was fun to read and important in what it tries to accomplish."[14] According to the book campaign's Indiegogo page, the goal of $5000 was exceeded by late April 2014.[15]

Stolyarov is also involved in transhumanist politics. He is the chairman of the United States Transhumanist Party, which advocates life extension with about 1,100 members as of October 2018.[7][16] There is no monetary cost to being a member of the United States Transhumanist Party, according to the U.S. Transhumanist Party website.[17] He is also registered as the Chief Executive of the Nevada Transhumanist Party.[8] In 2018, Stolyarov began a campaign to run for a seat on the board of trustees for the Indian Hills General Improvement District in Indian Hills, Nevada. In September 2018, Stolyarov was a speaker at the 2018 RAAD Festival, a major festival devoted to promoting life extension technologies.[16]

References
  1. Renstrom, Joelle (March 2014). "The Most Terrifying Kids' Book". Slate. Retrieved August 25, 2014. Death is Wrong, Says Creepy Kids' Book [webpage title] ... The book encourages kids to help eradicate death with technology. ... In late February, Stolyarov and the Movement for Indefinite Life Extension started an Indiegogo campaign to raise $5,000 to distribute 1,000 free copies to kids.
  2. Neal, Meghan (March 1, 2014). "A Transhumanist Wants to Teach Kids That 'Death Is Wrong'". Motherboard. Vice. Retrieved August 25, 2014. But Stolyarov's strategy to groom the next generation to grow up thinking they might not have to die is unique—and more than a little bit creepy.
  3. "Gennady Stolyarov II". Institute for Ethics & Emerging Technologies. Retrieved August 25, 2014. Gennady Stolyarov II is an actuary, science-fiction novelist, independent philosophical essayist, poet, amateur mathematician, and composer.
  4. "Articles by Gennady Stolyarov II in Le Québécois Libre". Le Québécois Libre. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  5. "Gennady Stolyarov II". Mises Institute. Retrieved November 9, 2019. Gennady Stolyarov II is an actuary ... Mr. Stolyarov is the author of numerous free study guides ...
  6. "About Mr. Stolyarov". The Rational Argumentator. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  7. Bromwich, Jonah (May 19, 2018). "Death of a Biohacker". The New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2018. Gennady Stolyarov II, the chairman of the United States Transhumanist Party, a political organization with close to 880 members that supports life extension through science and technology, had been corresponding with Mr. Traywick since November 2015.
  8. Stolyarov II, Gennady (June 20, 2016). "Nevada Transhumanist Party: Notice of Continued Existence Pursuant to NRS 293.171". Nevada Secretary of State. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  9. "In Pursuit of SOA General Insurance FSA". Society of Actuaries. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  10. Stolyarov, Gennady (November 25, 2013). Death is Wrong (PDF). Rational Argumentator Press. ISBN 978-0615932040. When I was four and living in the city of Minsk...
  11. Borden, Karl (November 9, 2008). "FEE Announces 2008 Eugene S. Thorpe Award Winner: Gennady Stolyarov II". The Foundation for Economic Education. Retrieved August 25, 2014. Mr. Stolyarov is a senior at Hillsdale College; a triple major in economics, mathematics, and German; and an immigrant to (and now citizen of) the United States from Belarus.
  12. Murphy, Robert P. (July 9, 2010). "The Effects of the Economic Crisis on Young People [Editor's Note]". Free Advice. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  13. Stolyarov II, Gennady (June 2012). "Objectivist Statement of Resolves". The Liberal Institute. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  14. Istvan, Zoltan. "A Children's Book Ponders Death". Psychology Today. Retrieved August 26, 2014. I agree with Mr. Murphy's review.
  15. "Help Teach 1000 Kids That Death is Wrong". Indiegogo. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  16. "The U.S. Transhumanist Party: Four Years of Advocating for the Future - Gennady Stolyarov II". October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  17. "Frequently Asked Questions". United States Transhumanist Party Website. 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018. Is there a cost to becoming a member of the U.S. Transhumanist Party? No, there is absolutely no cost that you would need to pay. Membership is free and always will be. We do, however, appreciate it whenever our members volunteer their time and use their own resources to organize events and projects for the U.S. Transhumanist Party.
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