Myths and Visions of Mormon Transhumanists

Lincoln Cannon

Good morning and welcome to the 2015 conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association. It’s a pleasure to be here with all of you this morning. And I want to encourage you to look at the people around you and get to know them during the day. You might not know this yet, but there are incredibly interesting and incredibly good people sitting next to you. And if you haven’t met all the people around you, you really should. I’ve got a lot of friends, new acquaintances, family here that I know really well. Some of you I know better than others, but really take the opportunity. It’s an incredible group of people that we have here this morning.

Lincoln Cannon

My name is Lincoln Cannon, and I currently serve as president of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, and I’m appointed to that position by the board of directors of the association. They’re currently holding an election among voting members to determine some new directors of the association and leadership may evolve going forward. The association is very democratic. So thank you for being here with us this morning.

Lincoln Cannon

We live in challenging times. Rapidly changing technology is stretching traditional cultures. And disrupting social norms. Religious fundamentalists are globalizing escapist and nihilistic doctrines, stifling aspiration with oppressive theologies. and gathering recruits to violent causes. At the same time, we have anti-religious zealots that are canonizing reductionist aesthetics. And making a fetish of small-minded ridicule that would shame the pure in heart away from our greatest hopes.

Lincoln Cannon

In particular, this is a time of crisis even for Mormonism. For evidence of that, you don’t have to look any further than the titles of articles that have been published on LDS. org recently by the LDS Church. Some of those titles include Are Mormon’s Christian? Book of Mormon and DNA studies. Book of Mormon translation. First vision accounts. Plural. Peace and violence among nineteenth century Latter-day Saints. Plural marriage. In the church, race and priesthood, translation and historicity of the Book of Abraham.

Lincoln Cannon

But of course, that’s not the only evidence of the crisis that we’re dealing with in Mormonism. Attrition rates seem to have increased, particularly in developed countries among young Mormons, maybe disillusioned by Neo Orthodox emphasis on dogma and politics. We’ve also seen the LDS Church excommunicate two high profile members recently, Kate Kelly and John DeLynn, who’ve been associated at least in popular consciousness with feminist and gay rights, thereby escalating tensions among Mormons with differing views on these subjects. Much of progressive Mormonism, for its part, has exhibited little more than all too predictable politics of its own. and so functions more as a secularizing anemia than as a force for renewed strength.

Lincoln Cannon

So here we are Many, perhaps most of us, find around us or in ourselves an increasing discomfort. We might sense real risk for our people. For our culture, our heritage, our family, we might feel our grip less trustworthy or our footing not so sure. And yet our love, or at least our sense of self-preservation, still brought us together today. Perhaps hoping for a Hail Mary pass to redemption of our shared future, Mormon and otherwise. in a more beautiful future.

Lincoln Cannon

Transhumanism is a new way to think about the future of humanity. As transhumanists, we’ve discarded the old assumption that human nature is or ever was static. not only because science has demonstrated biological evolution, but especially because history itself is cultural and technological evolution. We’re diverse in background and perspective, of course, but our common expectation is that humanity will continue to evolve, and our common ambition is that we want to inject ourselves into that evolution intentionally, changing our bodies and minds, changing our relationships in our world for the better. perhaps even to learn, love, and create together indefinitely.

Lincoln Cannon

Some have accused transhumanism of being the most dangerous idea. The risks truly are as horrible as the opportunities are wonderful, even acknowledging concerns and emphasizing ethics, we might agree with our critics that we’re trying to play God. After all, what are the alternatives? What are the prospects for children that wouldn’t play adult? That wouldn’t grow from trying to learning, wouldn’t mature from playing to being? Surely that nursery will prove too small even for the smallest of the living. But for us, who know we’re not dead as yet, why not believe the most dangerous idea? Why not live?

Lincoln Cannon

Whatever the secular response, perhaps properly excusing itself from vying for the high spirit of humanity, the Mormon transhumanist response. is a quickened heart and brightened eyes. We’ve heard this story before. It’s our calling, and our choice hasn’t changed. Children of God would try to play God, and more, we’d learn how to be God. Dangerous, indeed. And worthy of exquisite caution and utmost reverence. But for the child, there’s no other way.

Lincoln Cannon

Mormon transhumanism stands for the idea that humanity should learn how to be God. And not just any kind of God, not the God that would raise itself in hubris above others, but rather the God that would raise each other together as compassionate creators. Humanity should learn how to be Christ.

Lincoln Cannon

Although most transhumanists are secular, transhumanism originates at least in part from religious humanism. For example, New Testament writers and early Orthodox and Catholic authorities syncretized with Neoplatonism, which was the popular science of their day, and advocated identifying with Christ and becoming gods. Thirteenth century scholastic theologians continued the synthesis with Christianity, between Christianity and popular science, which was at the time the newly rediscovered ideas of Aristotle. 19th century Nikolai Fedorov, a Russian Orthodox priest, proclaimed that the common task of humanity should be the technological resurrection of our ancestors. and twentieth century Jesuit priest Pierre Théard de Chardin advocated a vision of human evolution accelerated by technology and moving inexorably toward merging with a conception of God.

Lincoln Cannon

Of course, Mormonism itself is a religious transhumanism, expressed as an immersive discipleship of Jesus Christ. It’s not so much a religion about Jesus as it is an aspiration to live the religion of Jesus. With Jesus, we’d trust in, change toward, and fully immerse our bodies and our minds in the role of Christ. We’d been messiahs, saviors for each other, consoling and healing and raising, as exemplified and invited by Jesus. We’d also endure in that role, working to reconcile or atone with our relations and our world through suffering and death if needed. Anticipating the prophesied day of transfiguration and resurrection to immortality and eternal life.

Lincoln Cannon

Mormon transhumanists have many myths and visions, many stories and many dreams. And we express them in many different narratives. I’d like to share just a few of them with you. They’re informed of an abiding love for Mormonism, a deep hope, and an ecumenical Christianity. substantial research in emerging technology and its trends, and just some plain old imagination about how it all might fit together. Some of the narratives may be shocking, which is partly the point of constructing them, encouraging us to think beyond casual considerations. And of course, the only thing certain about the myth is that it’s wrong to some extent, but perhaps the vision will provoke you to improve upon its deficiencies with your own imagination. So the narratives.

Lincoln Cannon

Without beginning, gods of gods found themselves creating heavens and worlds without end. Our world was formless and void, having neither happiness nor misery, life nor death, neither sense nor even insensibility, and no purpose. Darkness encompassed the source, and the mind of the gods was brooding over it. And the gods said, Let there be light, and there was light. The gods saw the light, that it was good, because it was discernible. The gods saw darkness that it was separated from the light, and the light shining out of darkness was the first category. The gods counseled among themselves, and some said, Let’s prepare the Source to evolve abundantly, to bring forth sense and life and happiness, and form creators in our image, after our likeness, to have dominion over all the world. And others responded and said, Let’s not evolve more creators, because some will be lost, but give us the honor and power. The gods chose the first, and there was war in heaven. But the gods watched those things that they had ordered and saw that their plan was good.

Lincoln Cannon

2,500 years ago, humanity was evolving to a new way of thinking, expressed in part as a transition away from polytheism. Zarathustra’s teachings had spread throughout most of the civilized world, and the Persian Empire governed nearly half of humanity. In the heart of the empire a small religion was coming together. Its adherents combined Zoroastrian doctrine with mythology about indigenous Semites to make new scripture. They pioneered from Babylon, established a colony in Judea, and they began to build a temple. In time, they would syncretize with Greek mythology and give birth to the most influential religion in history, Christianity.

Lincoln Cannon

Two hundred years ago, humanity was again evolving into a new way of thinking, expressed in part as a transition away from monotheism. Jesus’ teachings had spread throughout most of the civilized world, and the United States of America was ascending to unparalleled global influence. In the heart of the nation, a small religion was coming together. Its adherents combined Christian doctrine with mythology about Native Americans to make new scripture. They pioneered from Illinois, established a colony in Deseret, and began to build a temple.

Lincoln Cannon

Today we live in telestial glory, an adolescent civilization, in the fulness of times. Filled as if by an unstoppable rolling river pouring from heaven, our knowledge becomes unprecedented. Nothing is withheld, whether the laws of the earth or the bounds of the heavens, whether there be one God or many gods. Everything begins to manifest. And the work of God hastens, repeating the words of Christ we speak. And information technologies begin to carry consolation around the world. Emulating the works of Christ, we act. and biological technologies begin to make the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, agriculture feeds the hungry, manufacturing clothes the naked. Hearts turning to our ancestors, we remember them, and machine learning algorithms begin to process massive family history databases, perhaps to redeem our dead.

Lincoln Cannon

A biotech revolution begins. Synthetic biology restores extinct species, creates new life forms, and hints at programmable ecologies. Some recall prophecies about renewal of our world, and others worry about its destruction. Personalized medicine begins to restore vitality to an older generation. Some insist that death is necessary for meaning. But new voices repeat old stories about those who were more blessed for their desire to avoid death altogether.

Lincoln Cannon

Reproduction technology enables infertile and gay couples, as well as individuals and groups, to conceive their own genetic children. Some recoil from threats to tradition. Some celebrate gifts to new families. Weaponized pathogens threaten pandemics as well as targeted genocides and assassinations.

Lincoln Cannon

Meanwhile, solar energy becomes less expensive than any other. And the Internet evolves into a distributed reputation network. Creating new incentives for cooperation. Missionaries find their work more globalized than ever before.

Lincoln Cannon

A nanotech revolution begins. Atomically precise printing erupts with food and clothing and shelter. Welfare systems solve old problems and make new ones. Among the wealthy, robotic cells flow through bodies and brains, extending abilities beyond those of the greatest athletes and scholars of history. Enjoying restored vitality, many become convinced that we can vanquish that awful monster death. But cautionary voices call attention to stunning socioeconomic disparities.

Lincoln Cannon

With the ability to read and write data to every neuron of the brain The Internet evolves into a composite of virtual and natural reality. We begin to connect with each other experientially, sharing senses and feelings deeply. Spiritual experiences become malleable, meriting careful discernment. Wireheading haunts relationships and burdens communities, and weaponized, self-replicating nanobots threaten destruction of the biosphere. Meanwhile, robotic moon bases mine asteroids and construct space colonies, reinvigorating the pioneer spirit.

Lincoln Cannon

A neurotech revolution begins. We virtualize brains and bodies. Minds extend or transition to more robust substrates, biological and otherwise. As morphological possibilities expand, some warn against desecrating the image of God, and some recall prophecies about the ordinance of transfiguration. Data backup and restore procedures for the brain banish death as we know it. Cryonics patients return to life. And environmental data mining hints at the possibility of modeling history in detail. To the point of extracting our dead ancestors individually. Some say the possibility was ordained before the world was to enable us to redeem our dead, perhaps to perform the ordinance of resurrection. Artificial and enhanced minds, similar and alien to human, evolve to superhuman capacity, and malicious superintelligence threatens us with annihilation.

Lincoln Cannon

Then something special happens. We encounter each other, and the personification of our world, instrumented to embody a vast mind. With an intimacy we could never before have imagined.

Lincoln Cannon

In that day, we will live in terrestrial glory. A maturing civilization in the millennium. Technology and religion will have evolved beyond our present abilities to express or conceive. Except perhaps loosely by analogy. We will see and feel and know the Messiah, the return of Christ. In the embodied personification of the light and life of our world, with and in whom we will be one, in a world beyond present notions of enmity. beyond present notions of poverty, suffering, death, the living transfigured, and the dead resurrected to immortality, we will fulfill prophecies. And we will repeat others, forth telling and provoking ourselves through yet greater challenges to celestial glory and beyond, in higher orders of worlds without end.

Lincoln Cannon

So as we share these religious narratives, expertly or not, we are engaging the function of prophecy. Not in any institutional sense that would usurp some other’s authority, but rather in the broad sense to which Moses aspired when wishing all of us were prophets. The core function of prophecy is not fortune telling, and it’s not foretelling. It’s not about God or prophets telling us, I told you so. Instead, the core function of prophecy is forth telling. It’s an interactive communal work of inspiration, even provocation. to steer us from risks to opportunities. At its best, it’s an expression of persuasion and love, punctuated with serious warnings. Aimed at our sublime potential, and not some narrowly preconceived potential, but rather potential that is openly imagined from a position of real compassion that would transcend itself. In a genuine, authentic creation.

Lincoln Cannon

But to function with such power, prophecy must be connected in our hearts and in our minds with living possibilities. Even pressing necessities, and the urgencies of our most vital moments. To the extent it matters at all, it’s because the prophecy reaches into us and changes our thoughts sufficiently to change our minds. And in turn, to change our words and our actions, and so perhaps to change our world. And to the extent that change is for the better, it’s because the change connects us to the positive rather than the negative. Potential of our religion, and in a more substantial way, less escapist and more active, less supernatural and more practical, less despairing and more hopeful. Anxiously engaged in a good cause.

Lincoln Cannon

Of course, it may be in the end that Mormonism will prove to be little more than a curious nuance in the history of humanity. Or it may be that God will end up doing all the work, despite our prophetic aspirations or technological trivialities. But it could yet turn out that the grace of God is best expressed in all the means at hand. From prophecy to technology. It could turn out that it’s up to us to learn how to become gods ourselves, the same as all other gods have done before.

Lincoln Cannon

That to me seems like a future worth trusting in and working for. I, for one, am encouraged by the gospel of Jesus Christ. And by the Mormon and transhumanist principles that motivate more immersive and practical interpretations of that gospel. I’m also encouraged by you and by our association. Your stories and dreams, whether they’re overcoming disillusionment, expanding minds, provoking action. More creativity, greater compassion. Your myths and your visions have reinforced my confidence in a better world. And it would be difficult to exaggerate how much I value that. Thank you for that.