Mormon Transhumanist Association News

Mormon Transhumanist Association Rosetta@Home Team Rank - 23 February 2012

Mormon Transhumanist Association — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Our team ranks 143 out of 9721 teams in the world.

Future Day: A Holiday Devoted to the Future

Lincoln Cannon — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:44:00 +0000

Future Day is a future-oriented holiday. Events will take place in several locations around the world on March 1st, including Hong Kong and Australia. A virtual event will be taking place in Second Life. Thanks to Ben Goertzel for creating the concept and Adam Ford for his work in coordinating it!

See article on Future Day at H+ Magazine.
See information about the Second Life Future Day event.

Future Day - A Holiday Specifically Devoted to the Future

What excites you about the future? What frightens you? How might the future change the way we live? And how might we change the way we live in the future?

The future is unknown. With the benefit of hindsight, we often wish we had more foresight. Have you ever wanted to go back in time and fix something? So why do we need a Future Day?

The human species is at a unique stage in history - scientific and technological progress is moving fast and is accelerating dramatically. Ray Kurzweil predicts that technological paradigm shifts will become increasingly common, leading to "technological change so rapid and profound it represents a rupture in the fabric of human history".

But what kind of change can we expect? There are many transformative technologies that look like they will have huge impacts on the way we live. What sort of future do you want? If you think through the possibilities of a particular technology, you can better appreciate the consequences of using it. Future Day is a celebration of imaginative and rational thinking about the future where you can participate. In the words of Howard Bloom, author of Global Brain: “Future Day is designed to center the impossible in the public mind once a year as a temptation too delicious to resist.”

Ben Goertzel, the AI researcher who launched the idea of Future Day, expresses his motivation for conceiving the holiday in terms of the concept of the attention economy. “In the more technologically advanced parts of the world, " he notes, "we are entering a regime in which material scarcity is less of a problem than attentional scarcity. We are in a situation where the focusing of attention, individually and collectively, is of prime importance. My hope is that Future Day can serve as a tool for helping humanity focus its attention on figuring out what kind of future it wants, and striving to bring these visions to reality."

"Let’s raise a toast to our power to work toward dramatic new solutions to the problems of today -- and let's have fun in the process. Let's celebrate the amazing opportunities we have right now to work towards a beneficial future!, says Adam Ford. “Future Day is important since it reminds us that a great future does not create itself. In order to realize our hopes and dreams, we have to actively work to make them happen. One of my dreams is to see a day when disease, and the suffering associated with it, is obliterated.” - Sonia Arrison, author of 100+.

Join the conversation on Future Day March 1st to explore the possibilities about how the future is transforming us. You can celebrate Future Day however you like, the ball is in your court — feel free to send a photo of your Future Day gatherings to info@futureday.org, and your jubilation may wind up being commemorated on the Future Day website, Humanity+ website, the Second Life Event, and at Facebook page!

“Future Day is a day for action! If all matter in the universe is comprised of patterns, let’s redesign what doesn’t work and form new methods for approaching the future with fluidity. Let’s grow neuromolecular wings for deeper perceptions in our flight in fostering a world of diversity and compassion.” - Natasha Vita-More, Chair, Humanity+

About Humanity+:
Humanity+ is affiliated with the Mormon Transhumanist Association. To learn more about Humanity+, go to the website, and to join Humanity+, go here!

Christian Scholars Conference Call for Papers on Transhumanism

Lincoln Cannon — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:50:00 +0000

Transhumanism, a small but growing international movement advocating various technologies of human enhancement, has often been lampooned as a pseudo-religion, a "rapture of the geeks" or a "robot cult." Yet those within the movement characterize it as a secular, rational humanist philosophy. Further complicating the matter is the recent appearance of syncretistic, transhumanist versions of various faiths. How should we characterize the movement known as transhumanism? What difference does this make in shaping a Christian theological and ethical response to the movement? Papers may address specific intersections of Christian doctrine and transhumanism, the relationship of faith and science (especially as expressed within the transhumanist movement), or elucidate specific aspects of transhumanism relevant to Christian theology or ethics.

http://www.lipscomb.edu/csc/About-the-CSC

Submissions go to Chris Doran at cdoran@pepperdine.edu. Deadlines are fast approach, but some may be flexible. For questions, contact information is on the website.

Speakers and Topics for MTA Conference 2012

Lincoln Cannon — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:46:00 +0000

The 2012 conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association will be held on 6 April 2012 from 9am to 5pm at the Salt Lake City Public Library in Salt Lake CIty, Utah. The conference is open to the public.

Previous conferences sponsored by the Mormon Transhumanist Association include the 2010 Transhumanism and Spirituality conference and the 2009 Mormonism and Engineering conference.

Speakers will address the themes of Mormonism, Transhumanism and Transfigurism, with particular attention to topics at the intersection of technology, spirituality, science and religion.

Here is a preliminary list of speakers and topics:

Adam Davis on “Scientific Realism and the Simulation Argument”
Brad Carmack on “Mormonism Beyond the Gender Binary”
Brent Allsop on “Ushering in the Millennium”
Carl Youngblood on “Compassionate Obsolescence: Coping with Technological Change”
Chris Bradford on “Bodies Without End: Embodiment in a Substrate-Independent World”
Chris Bradford on “Wise as Serpents, Harmless as Doves: Subverting Dogma in an LDS Context”
Cory Funk on “The Utility of Belief and Agnosticism”
Dan Wotherspoon on “Things Mormon Transhumanist Nerds Should Keep in Mind When Interacting with Potential Non-Transhumanist Allies — Especially Ones within Their Own Tradition”
Don Bradley on “‘The Grand Fundamental Principle’: Friendship as Partaking of the Divine Nature”
Dorothy Deasy on “Post-biological Transfiguration”
Eric Swedin on “Why Transhumanist Immortality is a Bad Idea”
Evan Hadfield on “God as Universal Experience: A Buddhist and Mormon Perspective”
Giulio Prisco on “The Turing Church of Transcendent Engineering”
James Carroll on “Epiphenomenalism, the Problem with Property Dualism”
Jamie Driessen on “Machine Skepticism Using a Non-Classical Suspension of a Logic Gate”
Karl Hale on “Worshiping an Extra-Terrestrial Humanoid Deity”
Kathy Wilson on “From Mormon to Mystic”
Leonard Reil on “The Plurality of Gods: An Uncomfortable Doctrine”
Lincoln Cannon on "The History, Status and Plans of the Mormon Transhumanist Association"
Marcus Flinders on “Taxation in a Millennial World”
Micah Redding on “Transhumanism and the Christian Story”
Michael Ferguson on “Toward a Science of Spirituality”
Mike Perry on “Christian Atheist Universal Immortalism”
Roger Hansen on “Putting a Ghost in the Machine”
Varden Hadfield on “How Amazing is Grace? The Role of Jesus Christ in Mormonism and Transhumanism”

Early registrants are eligible for discounts. Register today!

http://transfigurism-2012.eventbrite.com

Transfigurist Quarterly Issue 3 is out!

bradcarmack — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:12:00 +0000

You can now access the third issue of Transfigurist Quarterly, a publication covering the activities of the Association, here.

Also, please remember the 31 January 2012 submission deadline of the Call for Papers for the upcoming Association Conference (6 April 2012, SLC Public Library, Utah).

Thank you,

Bradley Carmack
MTA Secretary

2012 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association

Lincoln Cannon — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:13:00 +0000

The 2012 conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association will be held on 6 April 2012 at the Salt Lake City Public Library in Salt Lake CIty, Utah. The conference will be open to the public. Speakers will address the themes of Mormonism, Transhumanism and Transfigurism, with particular attention to topics at the intersection of technology, spirituality, science and religion.

Travel Assistance Available

The association may cover up to 50% of your travel costs to attend the conference if you meet the following criteria:

1) You must be a voting member of the association. If you are not currently a voting member, you may become one on the "Join" page of the association web site.

2) You must present a paper at the conference. More information about this is available in the call for papers, which appears below.

3) You must live at least 300 miles from Salt Lake City, and indicate a need for travel cost assistance. You may contact association leadership about this by email at admin@transfigurism.org.

Call for Papers

When: April 6, 2012
Where: Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake City, Utah
Submission Deadline: January 31, 2012

The Mormon Transhumanist Association invites papers for its 2012 conference focused on one of three themes: Mormonism, Transhumanism, and Transfigurism.

Papers should be suitable for a reading time of 10–12 minutes (1200 words maximum). Longer papers may be submitted, with the understanding that they will be revised for presentation. Papers will be published in book form in the proceedings of the conference.

Among the suggested topics are:

Mormonism:
Religion, Anti-Religion and Fundamentalism; Authentic Mormonism; God, Gods and Godhood; Trusting and Being Christ; From the Fullness of Times to the Millennium; Immortality and Eternal Life in Worlds without End

Transhumanism:
Transhuman-ism and Trans-humanism; Evolution and the Great Filter Argument; Moore’s Law, Kurzweil’s Law and the Technological Singularity; Simulation Argument; Solar Energy; Genome Sequencing; Synthetic Biology; 3D Printing; Genetics and Biotech; Nanotech and Molecular Machines; Robotics and Artificial Intelligence; Substrate Independent Minds; Helping humans adapt to the pace of technological change

Transfigurism:
Rejecting Fundamentalism; Rejecting Anti-Religiosity; Transfigurist Science; Transfigurist Politics; Transfigurist Art; Promoting Benevolence; Promoting Creativity; Engineering Transfiguration; Engineering Resurrection; Engineering Renewal of this World; Engineering Worlds without End; The Faith Assumption; The Angel Argument; The Benevolence Argument; The Creation Argument; The New God Argument

Please send submissions in RTF, PDF, or MS Word format to admin@transfigurism.org, by email attachment. Include author's full name, contact information, title and word count for the paper.

Some funding is available to reimburse portions of travel for presenters. Please indicate interest in being considered for travel support in the submission email.

Authors will be notified of acceptance by February 15th, 2011.

For more information, visit our web site at http://www.transfigurism.org, or contact MTA Vice President Christopher Bradford at christopher.bradford@transfigurism.org.

MTA financial report is available to the public

Karl Hale — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:47:00 +0000

The Mormon Transhumanist Association continually seeks input from all interested parties for improving our operations and goals. As part of this effort, we have made the Association's financial reports available to the public. You can find them at http://transfigurism.org/pages/about/finances/. If you are interested in understanding more about what decisions drive our spending or have input regarding those decisions, please contact us at admin@transfigurism.org.

Karl Hale

Treasurer

Association receives Google Grant!

bradcarmack — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:08:00 +0000

On December 11, 2011, the Mormon Transhumanist Association received an email from Google for Nonprofits: "Grants Enrollment has been approved!"

What are Google Grants? "The Google Grants program empowers non-profit organizations to achieve their goals by helping them promote their websites via advertising on Google. Google AdWords ads appear when users search on Google and when you click on one of the ads, you are brought to the website being advertised."

The association's application for free advertising of up to $10,000 per month is now approved. Thanks, Google!

Volunteer to manage an Association project!

bradcarmack — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 22:25:00 +0000

The list of projects on the transhumanism.org community page has been updated to reflect the many projects the Mormon Transhumanist Association is doing, such as Rosetta@home and the Transfigurist Quarterly. However, there are several more exciting projects in need of a project manager to help move them along! Check them out in detail here; a brief list follows. See a project you like? Volunteer to lead it today!

Bookstore (in need of a Project Manager)
Clothing store (in need of a Project Manager)
Annual Association Awards (in need of a Project Manager)
Monthly video discussion group on google+ (in need of a Project Manager)
Association Journal (in need of a Project Manager)
Mormon.org transhumanism-themed profiles (in need of a Project Manager)
Rosetta@Home
Transfigurism Quarterly

Turing Church Online Workshop 2

Lincoln Cannon — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:23:00 +0000

The Turing Church Online Workshop 2 will be held on Sunday 11 December, 2011. The Workshop will explore transhumanist spirituality and "Religion 2.0" as a summit of persons, groups and organizations active in this area, including members of the Mormon Transhumanist Association. Fully interactive participation will be free, invitation-only. If you wish to participate and for more information, visit the Turing Church web site.

Lincoln Cannon Interview on Mormonism and Politics with IEET

Lincoln Cannon — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:46:00 +0000

Lincoln Cannon, president of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, interviewed with Hank Pellissier of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technology on the subject of Mormonism and politics. Two Mormons, Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney, are campaigning for President of the United States, with Romney currently favored for the nomination. In recent days their faith has been derided by some as a "cult". Although Mormonism began in America, and has over 14 million followers internationally, the average American knows little about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). In this interview, Lincoln and Hank discuss socio-political positions of the Utah-based religion. The Mormon Transhumanist Association does not endorse any political candidate or party.

Giulio Prisco on Transhumanism and Religion at Manhattan College on 13 October 2011

Lincoln Cannon — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:31:00 +0000

On 13 October 2011 at 4pm eastern, Giulio Prisco will speak on Transhumanism and Religion at Manhattan College in the Rodriguez Room (Miguel 311). Robert Geraci organized the speaking engagement. Giulio's speech will be a revised and expanded version of the talk he gave on "The Cosmic Visions of the Turing Church" at the Transhumanism and Spirituality Conference 2010. More information is available on Giulio's blog.

Marcus Flinders Appointed General Counsel of the Mormon Transhumanist Association

Lincoln Cannon — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 21:47:00 +0000

The Mormon Transhumanist Association has appointed Marcus Flinders to the office of general counsel. Marcus is the Founding Attorney of Marcus Flinders Law Firm and specializes in corporate and business law as well as tax planning and litigation. He also has over fifteen years of experience as an entrepreneur and businessman. Marcus holds a BS in Philosophy from Utah Valley University, a JD from Valparaiso University, and an LL.M in Taxation from the University of Denver. Marcus served a mission to Cote d’Ivoire for the LDS Church, is married and has three children.For more information about the Mormon Transhumanist Association, visit transfigurism.org.

Mormon Transhumanist Association Conference 6 April 2012

Lincoln Cannon — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 12:39:00 +0000

The Mormon Transhumanist Association will hold its next conference in Salt Lake City on 6 April 2012. In past years, the association has sponsored the Mormonism Engineering Conference 2009 and the Transhumanism Spirituality Conference 2010. The Mormon Transhumanist Association Conference 2012 will be the first conference focused explicitly on both Mormonism and Transhumanism. Speakers will include Lincoln Cannon, President, and Chris Bradford, Vice President. Other members of the association and invited speakers will also present. Membership in the association is not required to attend. Additional details will be provided later. Mark you calendar, and plan to join us as we engineer meaning together.

Meet the Mormon Transhumanist Association Bloggers

Lincoln Cannon — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 12:28:00 +0000

The Mormon Transhumanist Association has added several member blogs to those aggregated on our web site home page and blog page, as well as to our feeds and social network broadcasts.

Here are the newest additions:

Doe Daughtrey's "New Age Mormon Pagans: Mormonism and the New Spirituality"

James Carroll's "Amateur Scriptorians" and self-named blog

Micah Redding's "Eminent Human" and "American Bedouin: King of the Anarchists"

Noah Heninger's "Finding Mormonism"

Here are the oldies but goodies:

Allen Leigh's "Convergence of Science and Religion"

Brad Carmack's "Thoughtproduct in the life of . . ."

Bryant Smith's "Words from the B Side"

Carl Youngblood's "Real Presences"

Chris Bradford's "Let Us Reason"

Daniel Durrant's self-named blog

Dave Sonntag's "Asian Life Sciences"

David Foster's "Stranger than Fiction"

Giulio Prisco's self-named blog

Leonard Reil's "Ramblings of an Ignorant Sage"

Lincoln Cannon's self-named blog

Mark Swint's "Science and Religion"

Michael Ferguson's "Positive Neuro"

Roger Hansen's "Tired Road Warrior"

If you are a member of the association and would like your blog to be included in the aggregation, please contact admin@transfigurism.org. Enjoy!

Transcendent Man Live with Ray Kurzweil — a special one-night movie event

Lincoln Cannon — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:01:00 +0000

Transcendent Man: A Conversation about the Future with Ray Kurzweil, produced by NCM Fathom, Ptolemaic Productions, and Therapy Studios, will be simulcast to select movie theaters nationwide from Lincoln Center in New York City on August 3rd, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Central, 6:00 p.m. Mountain, and 8:00 p.m. Pacific (tape-delayed).

To buy tickets to a screening near you, watch the trailer, or get more information, please visit NCM Fathom here.

Based on the critically acclaimed film documentary Transcendent Man — which explores the life and ideas of Ray Kurzweil — the live event will feature exclusive, extended excerpts from the film and a celebrity discussion panel.

Ray Kurzweil will give a special presentation on accelerating technology and its impact on civilization, followed by an all-star panel discussing the future of humanity, the merger of man and machine, and the imminent end of aging and disease, ushering in an era of extreme longevity and human potential.

The event will feature Deepak Chopra (live via Teleportec), filmmaker Barry Ptolemy, Apple Inc. cofounder Steve Wozniak, physicist Michio Kaku, technology entrepreneur Tan Le, and inventor Dean Kamen. With pre-recorded remarks from former Vice President Al Gore, Suzanne Somers, Quincy Jones, Bill Maher, Elon Musk and others.

Viewers are invited to submit a question in advance (to be answered by participants on event night) on the Transcendent Man Facebook page or Twitter (hashtag: #tmlive).

“Ray Kurzweil’s theory that human life will be interconnected with machines and computers within the next several decades is fascinating people worldwide,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of Fathom. “This special live event will give audiences a chance to hear directly from the celebrated inventor and a world renowned panel about the theory of immortality and the progress being made in that regard right now.”

Members of the Mormon Transhumanist Association that will be in the Salt Lake City area are invited to purchase tickets through Fandango to attend this event at the following location:

Transcendent Man: Live with Ray Kurzweil (NR)
Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2011
Showtime: 6:00 pm
Cinemark Draper and XD
12129 South State Street
Behind Draper Peaks
Draper, UT 84020
(801) 619-6494
Auditorium 6

Singularity Institute Salt Lake Summit

Lincoln Cannon — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:27:00 +0000

Salt Lake City is a new addition to the Singularity Institute's Summit locations. In March of 2011, with the support and encouragement of Rob and Oksana Brazell, the Singularity Institute held a small event at the Salt Lake Country Club for members of the Young Presidents' Organization and World Presidents' Organization, focusing on advanced and highly beneficial medical technologies that seem rarely used or little known. The high quality of the audience and their enthusiastic reaction encouraged organizers so much that the Singularity Summit SLC was born.

The Summit will begin with Michael Vassar discussing the strange time-lag between technological invention and mainstream adoption. Deepa Kulkarni will share her story of the doctors who told her that her lost fingertip couldn't be regained, and how she researched a known but little-used procedure for tissue regeneration. Jaan Tallinn, a founding engineer of Skype, will Skype in to speak on the lessons of his career. Dr. Zheng Cui will present his discovery of a white blood cell transfusion with a 100% success rate for cancer treatment in mice; and his collaborator Dr. Dipnarine Maharaj will talk about the clinical trial of this and other transfusion therapy at his Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Treatment Facility. After lunch, Ray Kurzweil will join us via telepresence to share his vision of the future of artificial intelligence and of mankind's fusion with machines. Paypal Co-Founder and Founder's Fund Partner Luke Nosek will discuss genomics investing and Halcyon Molecular's vision of DNA sequencing. Khan Academy President Shantanu Sinha will explain how his nonprofit is using technology to revolutionize the education system. And finally Aubrey de Grey, the Chief Science Officer at the SENS Foundation, will conclude with his view of how technology can and should cure aging.

Date: June 4th, 2011 10:00am - 5:00pm
Location: The Grand America Hotel
Contact: amywilley@gmail.com
Phone: 586.381.1801
Singularity Institute
Registration $100

Visit the Singularity Institute Salt Lake Summit web site for more information and to register.

Brad Carmack Appointed Secretary of the Mormon Transhumanist Association

Lincoln Cannon — Sat, 28 May 2011 10:34:00 +0000

The Mormon Transhumanist Association has appointed Brad Carmack to the office of secretary. He was also recently elected to the association's board of directors.

Brad graduated from the JD/MPA program at BYU in April 2011. He majored in Biology, performed clerk assignments for Justice Joel Horton of the Idaho Supreme Court, and worked as a teacher’s assistant for human resources law, biodiversity, management ethics, and bioethics. Brad is author of "Homosexuality: A Straight BYU Student’s Perspective", available on YouTube and in PDF at bradcarmack.blogspot.com.

For more information about the Mormon Transhumanist Association, visit transfigurism.org.

H+ Magazine Publishes Second Interview with Lincoln Cannon on Mormon Transhumanism

Lincoln Cannon — Mon, 09 May 2011 22:39:00 +0000

H+ Magazine today published a second interview with Lincoln Cannon, president of the Mormon Transhumanist Association. In this second interview, Lincoln explains why he considers Mormonism to be the most Transhumanist among major world religions. He also addresses questions about scriptural interpretation, parallels with other religions, and the problem of evil.

In the first interview, Lincoln shared thoughts on parallels between Mormonism and Transhumanism, including Mormon views of the afterlife, immortality and contemporary ethical issues raised by emerging technology. He also discussed Mormons in science and technology, passages of the Book of Mormon with Transhumanist themes, and hopes related to a Mormon futuristic transhuman utopia.

Brad Carmack, Chris Bradford and Nathan Hadfield Elected to Mormon Transhumanist Association Board of Directors

Lincoln Cannon — Sun, 01 May 2011 23:35:00 +0000

The Mormon Transhumanist Association is pleased to announce the results of the 2011 director election. Each year, terms expire for three of the nine seats on the board of directors. This year, the seats occupied by Chris Bradford, Cory Funk and Joseph West expired. The association thanks Chris, Cory and Joseph for the leadership and service they've provided. Voting members of the association have elected the following three persons to serve as directors for the 2011 to 2014 term:

Brad Carmack
Chris Bradford
Nathan Hadfield

The association congratulates Brad, Chris and Nathan, and thanks them for their willingness to contribute. Below is additional information about these directors. Information about all directors and officers of the association is available here:

http://transfigurism.org/pages/about/directors-and-officers/

Brad Carmack

Brad graduated from the JD/MPA program at BYU in April 2011. He majored in Biology, performed clerk assignments for Justice Joel Horton of the Idaho Supreme Court, and worked as a teacher’s assistant for Human Resources Law, Biodiversity, Management Ethics, and Bioethics. Brad risked his degrees by writing “Homosexuality: A Straight BYU Student’s Perspective,” available on YouTube and in pdf at bradcarmack.blogspot.com.

Chris Bradford

Chris was born in Utah, but soon moved to Washington DC and then overseas for his father's employment. He has lived in Egypt, Germany, Jordan, Pakistan and Italy, where he served an LDS mission. A self-taught programmer, he manages social & mobile development at Ancestry.com. He has a degree from Brigham Young University in linguistics. Chris and wife Lucy have five sons and three daughters. Chris is passionate about science, technology, religion, philosophy, and the performing arts.

Nathan Hadfield

Nathan is a founding partner at MacsDesign Studio, a software company specializing in service management solutions. After receiving a bachelors degree in Computer Science from Brigham Young University in 1999, he worked as a software engineer at Motorola and as a technical instructor and curriculum developer at BroadVision. He served a mission for the LDS Church in Los Angeles. Nathan and wife Molly have two energetic little boys, and he currently serves as scoutmaster for his ward in Provo, Utah.