Biohackers Retreats, Summer 2020
No, it is not what you are thinking
Before I delve into retreats, let’s clarify a couple of things, again… and again.
The word “hacking” has been overly abused in the last year, as it makes “cool” the topic we are talking about. People don’t say “strategy marketing”, they say “grow hack”, as if they can get the rebel mindset of software programmers breaching security doors into their marketing campaign. The same has been for the word “biohacking”. According to Biohack.me, “Biohackers/Grinders are passionate individuals who believe the tools and knowledge of science belong to everyone”, and this is more or less in-line with the computer security community of software hackers who fight for democracy. Moreover, talking about “bio”, biohackers also refers to experimentation (as by gene editing or the use of drugs or implants) improving the qualities or capabilities of living organisms especially by individuals and groups working outside a traditional medical or scientific research environment. That’s where it got wrong. Anyone eating a vitamin supplement is advertising him/herself as a “biohacker”. Or sometimes narcissistic approaches of transhumanism take over which is maybe even worse.
(Bio)hackers retreats or summercamps are events (most often family friendly) where (bio)hacking…
