Mormon Transhumanist Association News

Adam Ford of Humanity+ Interviews Lincoln Cannon on Transhumanism and Mormonism

Lincoln Cannon — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:22:00 +0000

Adam Ford, a director of Humanity+, interviewed Lincoln Cannon, president of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, on the subjects of Transhumanism and Mormonism. Humanity+ and the Mormon Transhumanist Association are affiliates. The interview is available on YouTube and at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. It is also embedded below for your convenience.

Leadership Changes

Lincoln Cannon — Wed, 08 May 2013 21:41:00 +0000

In annual elections held in April, voting members of the Mormon Transhumanist Association elected three new directors: Carl Youngblood, Don Bradley and Karl Hale.

Carl Youngblood has worked as a software engineer for over fifteen years, and is currently employed by Cisco Systems in Norway. Carl served a mission in Londrina, Brazil from 1994-96. He received a BA in Portuguese with a music minor from Brigham Young University and an MS in computer science from the University of Washington. He is married to Kami Allred and has four children. Carl enjoys woodworking, reading, history, religion, philosophy, singing, and playing various musical instruments.

Don Bradley is a historian specializing in Joseph Smith and Mormon scripture. Don holds a BA in History from Brigham Young University, and is finalizing his MA in History at Utah State. His writings include "'The Grand Fundamental Principles of Mormonism': Joseph Smith's Unfinished Reformation" and "The Lost 116 Pages: Rediscovering the Book of Lehi" (forthcoming). Don has a passion for exploration and discovery, is a single dad, and describes himself as "an individualist in the service of a community."

Karl Hale is happily married to Ana Lisa Bradford, and they are the parents of eight children. He has a Masters degree from Brigham Young University in Information Systems Management and has worked in that field for 12 years. He is currently self employed in the educational games industry and serves as the Junior Primary Music Leader in his ward. In addition to technology, Karl’s interests include languages, reading, woodworking, cello and juggling.

Carl Youngblood and Karl Hale have served on the association's board of directors previously. They and Don Bradley will fill positions previously filled by Bryant Smith, David Foster and Michael Ferguson, who the association thanks for their service. The following persons continue to serve on the board of directors: Brad Carmack, Chris Bradford, Dorothy Deasy, James Carroll, Lincoln Cannon and Nathan Hadfield. More information about the board of directors is available at Transfigurism.org.

The board of directors has also appointed Chris Bradford to serve as Chief Operations Officer, in addition to his appointment as Vice President. Other offices will remain unchanged: Brad Carmack as Secretary, Carl Youngblood as Chief Information Officer, Karl Hale as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, Lincoln Cannon as President and Chief Executive Officer, and Marcus Flinders as Chief Legal Officer. More information about association management is available at Transfigurism.org.

Results from Mormon Transhumanist Association Member Survey 2012

Lincoln Cannon — Sun, 05 May 2013 21:36:00 +0000

The Mormon Transhumanist Association has released results of its 2012 member survey. The survey results provide aggregate statistics of members' views on religion and politics, satisfaction with the association, and demographics. In 2012, the association grew from 143 members to 255 members, and 91 members participated in the survey. Notable statistical changes since 2011 include:

Twelve-month average growth increased from 2.5 to 9 new members per month
Membership identifying as progressive in economic politics declined from 41% to 32%
Membership attributing high importance to the association increased from 25% to 33%
Membership born in the years 1975 to 1984 increased from 31% to 44%
Membership of caucasian ethnicity decreased from 94% to 88%

Brad Carmack Represents at the American Philosophical Association

Lincoln Cannon — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:22:00 +0000

Brad Carmack, director and secretary of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, represented the Mormon Transhumanist Association at the 87th Annual Meeting of the American Philosophical Society in San Francisco on 27-31 March 2013. Brad spoke on the subject of "Transfigurism: a Syncretization of Mormonism and Transhumanism". His thesis was that emerging technology will continue to affect the evolution of religion, and Mormon Transhumanism is an early example of some of the adaptations we might expect to observe more broadly going forward. In the video recording, Brad speaks from 1:38:56 to 1:50:48 and participates in the panel discussion beginning at 2:04:40.

Videos of the 2013 Mormon Transhumanist Association Conference

Brad Carmack — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 05:49:00 +0000

20 April 2013 update:
Please find the playlist of all 26 video proceedings here!

Videos of presentations at the 2013 Mormon Transhumanist Association Conference held in SLC, Utah on 5 April will be available in the next few weeks, and will be announced in this news feed. Like last year, the videos will be posted as a playlist on the Association's YouTube channel.

After-Conference Activities on 6 April

Lincoln Cannon — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 03:12:00 +0000

The Mormon Transhumanist Association invites members and friends to participate in some casual after-conference activities in Salt Lake City on Saturday 6 April.

9am meet outside west doors of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building at 15 E South Temple in Salt Lake City.

9:30am tour temple square, observing conference attendees and protesters

1pm lunch at City Creek Center

3pm tour This is the Place Monument & Heritage Park (admission $5, 9am-5pm)

6pm hike Ensign Peak trailhead

7pm dinner (location TBD)

Live Video Stream of the 2013 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association

Lincoln Cannon — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 02:25:00 +0000

Video and audio of the 2013 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association will be streamed to the home page of the Transfigurism.org website, live from the Salt Lake City Public Library tomorrow, 5 April 2013 from 9:30am to 5:45pm mountain time (MST) with a 30 minute break from 12:36pm to 1:06pm -- see the final schedule announcement for more details. Online chat will be available for viewers to comment and send questions. The association invites viewers and conference attendees posting about the conference on social networks to use the #mtaconf hashtag.

Speakers will address the themes of Mormonism, Transhumanism and Transfigurism, with particular attention to topics at the intersection of technology, spirituality, science and religion. Previous conferences sponsored by the Mormon Transhumanist Association include the 2012 conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, the 2010 Transhumanism and Spirituality conference, and the 2009 Mormonism and Engineering conference. Keynote speakers will be Aubrey de Grey and Richard Bushman. Special guests Carl Teichrib and Peter Wicks will offer critiques of religious Transhumanism. Other speakers will include association members and leadership. If you can attend in person, register now!

Final Schedule for the 2013 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association

Lincoln Cannon — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 02:06:00 +0000

The Mormon Transhumanist Association is pleased to announce the final schedule for our 2013 Conference, which will be held tomorrow, 5 April 2013 from 9:00am to 5:45pm in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the level four conference room of the Salt Lake City Public Library. Speakers will address the themes of Mormonism, Transhumanism and Transfigurism, with particular attention to topics at the intersection of technology, spirituality, science and religion. Previous conferences sponsored by the Mormon Transhumanist Association include the 2012 conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, the 2010 Transhumanism and Spirituality conference, and the 2009 Mormonism and Engineering conference. Keynote speakers will be Aubrey de Grey and Richard Bushman. Special guests Carl Teichrib and Peter Wicks will offer critiques of religious Transhumanism. Other speakers will include association members and leadership. The conference is open to the public. Register now!

MORNING SESSION 9:00am-12:36pm (Led by Lincoln Cannon, President)

9:00am SEATING
9:30am WELCOME Lincoln Cannon, President
9:49am MUSIC The Mormon Transhumanist Barbershop Quartet

9:53am Brent Allsop, “MTA Member Survey 2012 Summary”
10:10am Gabriel Rothblatt, “Terasem Movement Transreligion, Secular Approach to Religious Transhumanism”
10:27am Leonard Reil, “The Reluctant Transhumanist; or, There is no Magic Wand”
10:44am Don Bradley, “Joseph Smith and the Technologies of Seership”
11:01am Donnie Bradley, “As Exact as Mathematicks: The Formal Potential of Religious Thought”
11:18am Carl Youngblood, “Demythologizing Mormonism”
11:35am Joseph West, “Authentic Mormonism and Resource Mobilization”

11:52am KEYNOTE Aubrey de Grey, “Why it is a sin NOT to strive to develop medicine that eliminates aging”

12:34pm BUSINESS Lincoln Cannon, President

LUNCH 12:36pm-1:06pm in Conference Room
Food is free for registered attendees.

AFTERNOON SESSION 1:06pm-5:45pm (Led by Chris Bradford, Vice President)

1:06pm SEATING
1:12pm MUSIC The Mormon Transhumanist Barbershop Quartet
1:16pm Chris Bradford, Vice President

1:33pm SPECIAL Carl Teichrib, “A Christian Critique of Christian Transhumanism”

1:50pm Noah Heninger, “What is Wrong with Technology?”
2:07pm Jessica Finnigan, “Technology in the Developing World”
2:24pm Brad Carmack, “LDS Transsexual Policy: a Critique”
2:41pm John Niman, “The Free Exercise Clause and Genetic Engineering Regulation”
2:58pm Marcus Flinders, “The Legal Rights of Sentient Machines”

3:15pm SPECIAL Peter Wicks, “An Atheist Transhumanist Critique of Religious Transhumanism”

3:32pm James Carroll, “The Evolution of God, The Theory of Evolution and the Potential Existence and Nature of God”
3:49pm Giulio Prisco, “The Computational Problem of Evil”
4:06pm Mike Perry, “Parallel Recreation as an Alternative to Quantum Archaeology in Resurrecting the Dead”
4:23pm Jared Anderson, “(De)Construction down the Rabbit Hole”
4:40pm Micah Redding, “A Better Apocalypse: Ancient Eschatology for a Transhuman World”

4:57pm KEYNOTE Richard Bushman, “From Humanity to Fulness the Mormon Way”

5:39pm MUSIC The Mormon Transhumanist Barbershop Quartet
5:43pm FAREWELL Chris Bradford, Vice President

DINNER 7:00pm-10:00pm at Rodizio Grill (Trolley Square, Second Floor, 600 S 700 E, Salt Lake City)
Admission is free with no requirement to purchase food. Food is $17.99 for meat and salad bar, or $12.99 for salad bar only.

Register now!

Select Papers from the 2012 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association

Lincoln Cannon — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 22:35:00 +0000

The Mormon Transhumanist Association has published five papers from among the best presented at its 2012 conference:

"Bodies without End: Embodiment in a Substrate-Independent World" by Chris Bradford

"Epiphenomenalism and the Problem with Property Dualism" by James Carroll

"Mormonism Beyond the Gender Binary" by Brad Carmack

"Transhumanism and the Christian Story" by Micah Redding

"Worshipping an Extraterrestrial Humanoid Deity" by Karl Hale

Preliminary Schedule for the 2013 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association

Lincoln Cannon — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 21:12:00 +0000

The Mormon Transhumanist Association is pleased to announce the preliminary schedule for our 2013 Conference, which will be held on 5 April 2013 from 9:00am to 5:45pm in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the level four conference room of the Salt Lake City Public Library. Speakers will address the themes of Mormonism, Transhumanism and Transfigurism, with particular attention to topics at the intersection of technology, spirituality, science and religion. Previous conferences sponsored by the Mormon Transhumanist Association include the 2012 conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, the 2010 Transhumanism and Spirituality conference, and the 2009 Mormonism and Engineering conference. Keynote speakers will be Aubrey de Grey and Richard Bushman. Special guests Carl Teichrib and Peter Wicks will offer critiques of religious Transhumanism. Other speakers will include association members and leadership. The conference is open to the public. Register now!

MORNING SESSION 9:00am-12:36pm (Conducting: Lincoln Cannon, President)

9:00am SEATING

9:15am WELCOME Lincoln Cannon, President

9:32am MUSIC

9:36am Brent Allsop, “MTA Member Survey 2012 Summary”

9:53am Jason Xu, “Eternal Life Fan Club, A Self-fulfilling Prophecy Community”

10:10am Gabriel Rothblatt, “Terasem Movement Transreligion, A Secular Approach to Religious Transhumanism”

10:27am Leonard Reil, “The Reluctant Transhumanist; or, There is no Magic Wand”

10:44am Don Bradley, “Joseph Smith and the Technologies of Seership”

11:01am Donnie Bradley, “As Exact as Mathematicks: The Formal Potential of Religious Thought”

11:18am Carl Youngblood, “Demythologizing Mormonism”

11:35am Joseph West, “Authentic Mormonism and Resource Mobilization”

11:52am KEYNOTE Aubrey de Grey, “Why it is a sin NOT to strive to develop medicine that eliminates aging”

12:34pm BUSINESS Lincoln Cannon, President

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LUNCH 12:36pm-1:06pm

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AFTERNOON SESSION 1:06pm-5:45pm (Conducting: Chris Bradford, Vice President)

1:06pm SEATING

1:12pm MUSIC

1:16pm Chris Bradford, Vice President

1:33pm SPECIAL Carl Teichrib, “A Christian Critique of Christian Transhumanism”

1:50pm Noah Heninger, “What is Wrong with Technology?”

2:07pm Jessica Finnigan, “Technology in the Developing World”

2:24pm Brad Carmack, “LDS Transsexual Policy: a Critique”

2:41pm John Niman, “The Free Exercise Clause and Genetic Engineering Regulation”

2:58pm Marcus Flinders, “The Legal Rights of Sentient Machines”

3:15pm SPECIAL Peter Wicks, “An Atheist Transhumanist Critique of Religious Transhumanism”

3:32pm James Carroll, “The Evolution of God, an Analysis of what the Theory of Evolution has to Say about the Potential Existence and Nature of God”

3:49pm Giulio Prisco, “The Computational Problem of Evil”

4:06pm Mike Perry, “Parallel Recreation as an Alternative to Quantum Archaeology in Resurrecting the Dead”

4:23pm Jared Anderson, “(De)Construction down the Rabbit Hole”

4:40pm Micah Redding, “A Better Apocalypse: Ancient Eschatology for a Transhuman World”

4:57pm KEYNOTE Richard Bushman, “From Humanity to Fulness the Mormon Way”

5:39pm MUSIC

5:43pm FAREWELL Chris Bradford, Vice President

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DINNER 7:00pm-9:00pm

Register now!

Future Day 2013 Lunch at Thanksgiving Point

Lincoln Cannon — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 23:04:00 +0000

Future Day is 1 March, and the Mormon Transhumanist Association invites you to join us for lunch and casual conversation about the future at the Thanksgiving Point Tower Deli in Lehi, Utah, at 11:45am on 1 March 2013. Bring your friends and family, and of course your thoughts and questions about a future of radical flourishing in compassion and creation through technology and religion.

Holidays provide a fantastic way of channeling peoples’ attention and energy. Most of our holidays are focused on past events or individuals, or on the rhythms of nature. History and nature are wonderful and should be honored — but the amazing future we are building together should be honored as well. Future Day is a way of focusing and celebrating the energy that more and more people around the world are directing toward creating a radically better future. This is a brand new holiday — the first Future Day was in 2012. This year on March 1st Future Day will be even better! Let us all work together to continue to make Future Day a great success! Learn more about Future Day.

American Academy of Religion Call for Papers on Transhumanism and Religion

Lincoln Cannon — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 04:02:00 +0000

Please consider submitting a paper proposal for the “Transhumanism and Religion” Group session at the November, 2013 American Academy of Religion annual meeting in Baltimore. Deadline for submitting a proposal is Monday, March 4.

CALL FOR PAPERS -- TRANSHUMANISM AND RELIGION GROUP (AMERICAN ACADEMY OF RELIGION)

This Group welcomes papers on any aspect of transhumanism and religion and seeks perspectives from a variety of religious traditions. We encourage feminist analyses and more overtly philosophical critiques of posthuman discourse and we encourage original research. Papers may identify and critically evaluate any implicit religious beliefs, practices, and values that might underlie key transhumanist claims, goals, values, and assumptions. For example, are there operative notions of anthropology, soteriology, ethics, and eschatology at play in transhumanist quests? Papers might consider how transhumanism challenges religious traditions to develop their own ideas of the human future; in particular, the prospect of human transformation, whether by technological or other means. Papers may provide critical and constructive assessments of an envisioned future that place greater confidence in nanotechnology, robotics, and information technology to achieve virtual immortality and create a superior posthuman species.

AAR TRANSHUMANISM AND RELIGION GROUP MISSION STATEMENT

“Transhumanism” or “human enhancement” refers to an intellectual and cultural movement that advocates the use of a variety of emerging technologies. The convergence of these technologies may make it possible to take control of human evolution, providing for the enhancement of human mental and physical abilities deemed desirable and the amelioration of aspects of the human condition regarded as undesirable. These enhancements include the radical extension of healthy human life. If these enhancements become widely available, it would arguably have a more radical impact than any other development in human history — one need only reflect briefly on the economic, political, and social implications of some of the extreme enhancement possibilities. The implications for religion and the religious dimensions of human enhancement technologies are enormous and are addressed in our Group. We are interested in encouraging and providing a forum for a broad array of input from scholars, including Asian and feminist perspectives. For more information, or to be placed on a very occasional mailing list, contact Calvin Mercer, East Carolina University, mercerc@ecu.edu.

Help Advertise the 2013 Conference

Lincoln Cannon — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:45:00 +0000

The Mormon Transhumanist Association invites you to help advertise the 2013 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, which will be held on 5 April 2013 from 9:00am to 5:45pm in the Salt Lake City Public Library conference room level 4, with keynote speakers Aubrey de Grey and Richard Bushman.

Please share the following conference registration link on your blog and social networks:

http://transfigurism-2013.eventbrite.com/

Please also post or share one of the images below:

160 x 600

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940 x 182

1252 x 626

Mormon Expositor interviews Lincoln Cannon and James Carroll

Lincoln Cannon — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 01:46:00 +0000

The Mormon Expositor podcast has published an interview with Lincoln Cannon, president of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, and James Carroll, a director of the association.

The Mormon Expositor is a biweekly podcast leveraging a panel discussion format and focusing on Mormon doctrine, practices, culture, and history. Its regular panel and board of directors is made up of both believers and non-believers. They value honest and frank discussions that entertain and enlighten while remaining respectful. Additionally, they strive to present accurate information supported by reliable and accessible sources.

Mormon Transhumanism on Mormon Expositor

Call for Papers Extended to 19 January

Lincoln Cannon — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:42:00 +0000

The Mormon Transhumanist Association invites you to submit papers for its 2013 conference, which will be held on Friday 5 April 2013 in Salt Lake City. The association has extended by one week the deadline for submitting paper proposals. The extended deadline is Saturday 19 January 2013. For more information about the call, including suggested topics and important dates, see the original call.

For more information about the conference, including biographical information on keynote speakers Aubrey de Grey and Richard Bushman, see the original announcement. Early conference registration discounts are available, so register today!

Aubrey de Grey Keynote at April 2013 Conference

Lincoln Cannon — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 23:44:00 +0000

The Mormon Transhumanist Association is pleased to announce that Dr Aubrey de Grey will be a keynote speaker at our 5 April 2013 conference in Salt Lake City. He will speak on "Why it is a sin NOT to strive to develop medicine that eliminates aging". Aubrey is a biomedical gerontologist based in Cambridge, UK and Mountain View, California, USA, and is the Chief Science Officer of SENS Foundation, a California-based 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to combating the aging process. He is also Editor-in-Chief of Rejuvenation Research, the world’s highest-impact peer-reviewed journal focused on intervention in aging. He has developed a possibly comprehensive plan for the repair of all the accumulating and eventually pathogenic molecular and cellular side-effects of metabolism (“damage”) that constitute mammalian aging, termed Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS), which breaks aging down into seven major classes of damage and identifies detailed approaches to addressing each one.

As announced previously, Dr Richard Bushman will also be a keynote speaker at the conference. He will speak on "From Humanity to Fulness the Mormon Way". Richard retired as Gouverneur Morris Professor of History at Columbia University in 2001, and then came out of retirement in 2008 to accept a position as visiting Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University. He is the author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling and Co-General Editor of the Joseph Smith Papers. He chairs the Board of Directors of the Mormon Scholars Foundation which fosters the development of young LDS scholars. With his wife Claudia Bushman, he is the father of six children and twenty grandchildren. He has been a bishop, stake president, and patriarch and is currently a sealer in the Manhattan Temple.

Aubrey and Richard will be joined by guest speakers Carl Teichrib, speaking on "A Christian Critique of Christian Transhumanism", and Peter Wicks, speaking on "An Atheist Transhumanist Critique of Religious Transhumanism", as well as speakers from among the membership of the Mormon Transhumanist Association. Register for the conference today!

The association thanks Ben Goertzel for his gracious assistance, consequent to a schedule conflict, in making arrangements with Aubrey de Grey.

Singularity 1 on 1 talks science and religion with Lincoln Cannon

Lincoln Cannon — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 05:38:00 +0000

The Singularity 1 on 1 podcast has published a discussion about the compatibility of science and religion between host Nikola Danaylov and Lincoln Cannon, president of the Mormon Transhumanist Association.

"Lincoln Cannon is not only a software engineer with degrees in philosophy and business but also the president of the Mormon Transhumanist Association. In my first interview with him we talked about the compatibility between Mormonism and Transhumanism. In this special edition of Singularity 1 on 1 we debate whether science and religion are mutually exclusive – as I believe, or complementary – as Cannon argues that they are."

Singularity 1 on 1: Are Science and Religion Mutually Exclusive or Complementary?

Singularity 1 on 1 Interviews Lincoln Cannon

Lincoln Cannon — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 19:09:00 +0000

The Singularity 1 on 1 podcast has published an interview with Lincoln Cannon, president of the Mormon Transhumanist Association.

"Lincoln Cannon is one of those people who break the mold. He is not only a software engineer with degrees in philosophy and business but also the president of the Mormon Transhumanist Association. So if, like me, you thought that Mormon Transhumanism is an oxymoron, you should put your presumptions away and give Lincoln the chance to explain why this is not the case. Then you can judge for yourself.

"During our conversation with Cannon we cover a wide variety of topics such as: the history and purpose behind the Mormon Transhumanist Association; the story of how Lincoln discovered the technological singularity and transhumanism; what is Mormonism and how it is compatible with both of the above; the relationship between Mormonism, science and technology; the historicity of the Book of Mormon; being feminist, intellectual or gay and how that relates to being Mormon and/or transhumanist ..."

Lincoln Cannon on Singularity 1 on 1: Reach Out to Religious Transhumanists

Member Survey 2012

Lincoln Cannon — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 05:59:00 +0000

Dear members of the Mormon Transhumanist Association,

It's time for the association's annual member survey. We hope to hear from you! Your feedback helps association leadership better represent and serve you. The survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete, and the goal is 100% participation. Click here to access the survey:

https://docs.google.com/a/transfigurism.org/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGxoYVlHUnp5S3pic2hpRFpTb045REE6MA#gid=0

Only aggregate results, without personal identifying information, will be made public. Only association directors and officers will have access to individual answers. One week from now, if you haven't already completed the survey, an association leader will reach out and contact you personally to see if you have questions or need assistance. In the mean time, you may contact admin@transfigurism.org.

Thank you for participating!

Brent Allsop
Member Survey Project Manager
Mormon Transhumanist Association
transfigurism.org

Request for Proposals: “The Science of Immortality”

Lincoln Cannon — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 17:24:00 +0000

The University of California at Riverside, with the help of a very generous grant from The John Templeton Foundation and under the direction of John Martin Fischer, welcomes proposals to investigate via empirical means questions that concern personal immortality. Such questions are central existential concerns that know no geographical or cultural bounds. They include questions about the possibility and plausibility of post-mortem survival; questions about the influence of beliefs about immortality on behavior, attitudes, and character; questions as to why and how persons are (at least pre-reflectively) disposed to believe in post-mortem survival; and more besides. The goal of this RFP is to make progress on these questions through empirical research. Read more.