IMAGE: PHOTO OF EINSTEIN AT CHALKBOARD

Unlike traditional Christians, Mormons are philosophical materialists. They imagine a unified cosmos consisting only of matter, bounded by space and time, operating under natural law. Founder Joseph Smith is quoted as saying,

iMAGE: PHOTO OF ART OF TWO PEOPLE ABSTRACT

In my previous post, I talked about Fred Brooks’ insights on the transcendent properties of the creative process -- particularly from his experience with software engineering. He describes the joy of the creative process this way:

IMAGE: PHOTO OF EARTH

As a teenager growing up in the 1970’s who was interested in all things science and technology related while also a Mormon with strong Mormon roots, I had to come to grips with what appeared to be some basic incompatibilities between scientific truth and religious truth.

IMAGE: PHOTO OF CHILDREN

Around the turn of the century, there were critics who felt that the Internet was being over hyped. For example, art critic Robert Hughes writing about the information highway in Digital Time (1995) claimed that “We will look back on what is now claimed ... and (wonder) how we ever psyched ourselves into believing all the bull-dust about ... fulfillment through interface and connectivity. But by then we will have some other fantasy to chase. Its approaches equally lined with entrepreneurs and flack who will be the beneficiaries.”[1] Hughes died in 2012, so he was able to see the evolution of the worldwide web. I wonder if he had changed his mind?

We cordially invite you to submit papers, artwork, photography, poetry, and music for the 2015 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, which will be held on April 3, 2015, in Salt Lake City, Ut. The aim of this conference is to address the many issues and topics that lie at the intersection of technology and religion, and their impacts on society, and culture including art, music, entertainment, and on society in general. Contributions need not focus only on specifically Mormon religious issues.

IMAGE: PHOTO OF MINECRAFT

My time thinking about transhumanism and religion has essentially boiled down to an exercise where I try to identify the natural methods a God would use or like to see used to fulfill a prophecy. I would say few of the prophecies fulfilled in the history of the people of God have occurred “miraculously”, but have mostly been the unfolding of a series of causes and effects of people’s decisions. As such, I believe that most of the events that will result in the paradisiacal state of the Millennium will be the result of the personal decisions and actions of billions of people.

IMAGE: PHOTO OF WOMEN LOOKING OUT TO SEA

Science fiction and real science are in a symbiotic relation with powerful feedback loops: science fiction is inspired by science, and in turn it inspires new scientific and technical developments. At times, new developments are directly inspired by the imagination of science fiction writers - for example the fictional technologies described by William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, and more recently Ernest Cline, shaped and continue to drive real developments in consumer electronics and virtual reality, a recent example being the Oculus Rift. More often, science fiction ignites with overpowering interest in science and technology the flexible and imaginative minds of the young, who then become the next generation of scientists and engineers. This has a huge social impact:

Who Should Speak?

IMAGE: PHOTO OF WRITING ON WALL

(Gandhi Museum, Delhi, India)

God comes

like a prairie dog, popping up--

alert, curious-- and disappearing again.

God comes

like a cherry blossom, unfolding pink and delicate in fragrance and flower;

giving way to leaf and stem, fruit and stone.

IMAGE: PHOTO OF CHILD LOOKING OUTSIDE

Having and raising children is a critical part of the propagation of the species. Until Immortality or other reproductive options are realized, or otherwise finally engineered, it is critical to our long term survival. Children are therefore our most important resource.

The Mormon Transhumanist Association (MTA) was extremely philanthropic in 2014. Members of MTA contributed generously to charity campaigns in Uganda that were conducted by Roger Hansen and Hank Pellissier, managers of MTA humanitarian projects.

Below is a list of sponsored campaigns with an estimate of MTA philanthropy in each: