religion

Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) was a British mathematician and writer widely regarded as the world’s first computer programmer, a visionary who glimpsed the computational future nearly a century before the machines that would realize it. Born Augusta Ada Byron, the only legitimate child of the poet Lord Byron, Lovelace was raised by her mother Anne Isabella Milbanke, who deliberately cultivated in her a rigorous education in mathematics and science—partly, it is said, to guard against the romantic temperament of her absent father. That tension between poetic imagination and mathematical precision became her defining characteristic rather than her contradiction. Introduced to Charles Babbage in 1833, she became captivated by his proposed Analytical Engine. In 1843 she translated Luigi Menabrea’s account of the Engine from French, appending her own notes—nearly three times the length of the original—that described, among other things, an algorithm for computing Bernoulli numbers. This is now recognized as the first published algorithm intended for execution by a machine. Lovelace’s most striking contribution was not the algorithm itself but the conceptual leap it represented. She understood that the Analytical Engine could manipulate symbols according to rules, not merely numbers—that it was, in principle, a general-purpose engine of thought. She also recognized its limits: the machine, she wrote, could only do what we know how to order it to perform. That sober, precise boundary-drawing between tool and mind was itself a kind of philosophical precision that still shapes how we think about artificial intelligence. Her imagination ranged freely across what such an engine might compose, calculate, and create, anticipating by more than a century the questions that animate the intersection of computation and human cognition. From a Mormon transhumanist sensibility, Lovelace’s life embodies the conviction that intelligence—cultivated, disciplined, and applied to the highest tools available—is itself a sacred work. Her synthesis of mathematical rigor and imaginative reach, her insistence that the engines of computation might serve art and music as readily as arithmetic, resonates with a theology that treats creativity and intelligence as attributes of divinity in which humans genuinely participate. She died at thirty-six, leaving a legacy that took more than a century to be fully recognized—a reminder that the seeds of transformation are often sown long before the harvest is visible.

Alan Wilson Watts (1915–1973) was a British-born American philosopher, writer, and speaker best known for popularizing Eastern philosophy—particularly Zen Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism—for Western audiences. He remains one of the most influential interpreters of Asian religious thought in the twentieth century. Watts began his career in England, where he was involved with the Buddhist Lodge in London. He later moved to the United States, briefly serving as an Episcopal priest before leaving the ministry to pursue a broader philosophical vocation. He became a professor and dean at the American Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco and authored over twenty-five books, including The Way of Zen (1957), Psychotherapy East and West (1961), and The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are (1966). His lectures, many of which survive as recordings, continue to reach millions worldwide. Watts’s central teaching—that the individual self and the universe are fundamentally one—resonates with Mormon Transhumanist themes of theosis and the expansive potential of consciousness. His insistence that human beings are not merely in the universe but of it, expressions of a deeper cosmic process, parallels the tradition’s interest in humanity’s divine trajectory. However, significant differences exist. Watts generally rejected the concept of a personal God, viewing divinity as an impersonal process rather than a being with whom one could have a relationship. He was skeptical of doctrines of sin and moral depravity, seeing guilt as a psychological obstacle rather than a theological reality. He also questioned the Western emphasis on individual free will, favoring a view of spontaneous action aligned with Taoist wu wei . Despite these divergences, his lifelong project of dissolving boundaries between the sacred and the secular, the human and the divine, offers rich material for dialogue with Mormon Transhumanist thought.

Allen Hansen was raised in northern Israel within the LDS faith, an experience that has profoundly shaped his academic and personal interests. His interdisciplinary scholarship spans a wide range of subjects, reflecting his diverse background and intellectual curiosity. Hansen’s research interests are particularly focused on the intersection of Mormonism, Judaism, and Biblical studies, with a keen interest in late antiquity. He also has scholarly interests in journalism, as well as Eastern European and Middle Eastern studies. This breadth allows him to explore unique connections between seemingly disparate fields. Hansen also brings a practical dimension to his scholarship through interests in business management and positive psychology, both of which he frames through the lens of Zion — exploring how organizational design and individual well-being might serve a larger communal vision. This thread of his work aligns naturally with the Mormon Transhumanist Association's broader project of bridging faith and posthumanism.

Bathsheba Wilson Bigler Smith (1822–1910) served as the fourth general president of the Relief Society from 1901 until her death. Born in what is now West Virginia, she was raised on her family’s 300-acre plantation before joining the Church in 1837 at age fifteen. She married George A. Smith, the youngest member of the Quorum of the Twelve, in 1841. At age nineteen, Bathsheba was the youngest woman present at the organization of the Relief Society in Nauvoo in 1842. She later served as matron of the Salt Lake Temple, a member of the Deseret Hospital board, and a leader in the western woman’s suffrage movement. In 1888, she became second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency. As Relief Society general president, Smith oversaw construction of the original Relief Society Building (completed 1909) and introduced classes on childrearing, industry, and marriage. Under her leadership, Relief Society wheat was shared with earthquake survivors in San Francisco and famine victims in China. She was the first woman granted a funeral service in the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

Charles Randall Paul is the founder and president of the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy, an organization based in New York and Utah dedicated to fostering trust between religious critics and rivals. Recognizing the need for constructive online dialogue, he co-founded The World Table, a software platform designed to facilitate respectful conversations on the internet. Paul’s academic background spans diverse fields. He holds a B.S. in Social Psychology from Brigham Young University, an MBA from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Committee on Social Thought. This interdisciplinary approach informs his work on religious diplomacy and online discourse. Prior to his academic pursuits, Paul had a career as a commercial real estate developer. Influenced by thinkers such as William James, Jonathan Haidt, and Chantal Mouffe, Paul’s work explores themes of radical empiricism, personalism, and agonistic pluralism. His perspectives, rooted in Mormon theology and Joseph Smith’s notions of Zion, challenge conventional assumptions about knowledge and behavior, especially in the context of conflict and cooperation. He draws insight from the Mormon mythological example of the war in heaven, highlighting that knowledge doesn’t necessarily ensure moral behavior. Paul is married to Jan, and together they have five children and fifteen grandchildren.