Marcus Flinders

Marcus Flinders, an attorney specializing in corporate law, traces the history of legal rights from Socrates through the Declaration of Independence to modern United Nations conventions, examining how "power people" have historically granted or denied personhood to others. He uses the Dred Scott decision and the evolution of animal rights as case studies to illustrate how rights arguments develop gradually and depend on who holds power. Flinders then applies this framework to the coming question of machine rights, arguing that as artificial beings develop self-awareness, free will, and the capacity to feel pain, they will increasingly demand legal recognition. Drawing on LDS theology about spirits choosing bodies and intelligence attracting intelligence, he suggests that highly advanced machine bodies might attract souls seeking honorable vessels.

Marcus Flinders, an attorney specializing in taxation and general counsel for the Mormon Transhumanist Association, examines how taxation reveals the character of a society. He distinguishes between negative scriptural examples—where kings taxed people for personal gain—and positive tithing, where contributions flow to the community’s benefit. Flinders argues that studying tax codes illuminates our societal values: estate taxes reflect beliefs about wealth distribution, and charitable exemptions incentivize benevolence. Looking toward a “millennial world,” he envisions currency eventually giving way to exchanges of love, charity, and companionship. The highest form of “joyous taxation,” he suggests, is Christ-like atonement—willingly bearing another’s burdens so they might flourish.