Videos

Jacob Baker presents a philosophical challenge to transhumanism through the lens of “cosmic pessimism,” drawing on thinkers like Eugene Thacker, Thomas Ligotti, and Ray Brassier who question whether the universe is fundamentally indifferent to human existence. He introduces Thacker’s distinction between “the world” (as experienced by humans), “the earth” (in itself), and “the planet” (explicitly indifferent and dangerous to humanity)—arguing that transhumanism’s optimism about human potential may lack sufficient grounding. Baker extends this critique to Mormonism’s inherent optimism, suggesting that if becoming a god means eternally sharing in creation’s suffering rather than transcending it, then deification itself becomes “somewhat horrific to contemplate”—not as an anti-transhumanist argument, but as a challenge meant to strengthen and refine the philosophy.

James Carroll examines how meaning and purpose can survive—or be rebuilt after—a faith transition. Drawing on his background in artificial intelligence and Bayesian reasoning, he argues that neither the existence of a Creator nor belief in eternal life inherently produces meaning; rather, meaning emerges from conscious subjective experience and human desires. Carroll suggests that the same axiom underlying Mormonism’s “plan of happiness”—that humans are that they might have joy—can provide purpose whether or not one retains literal belief, finding value in the present moment, human connection, and compassionate action.

Jared Anderson, president and founder of the Olan Institute, proposes “reverse-engineering religion” to harness its unique cultural power for addressing humanity’s urgent problems—climate change, inequality, conflict, and more. He argues that religion is the most powerful cultural technology ever developed, yet it is often aimed at the wrong targets. Anderson outlines a framework for creating “religious humanism”: a high-church tradition with rigorous rituals, community structures, and beliefs that allow for both literal and figurative interpretation. His vision includes denominations like Earth Church (environmentalism), Life Church (education and science), and Tech Church (transhumanism).

Anthropologist John Bialecki presents preliminary findings from his participant observation research on the Mormon Transhumanist Association. He argues that the MTA is anthropologically significant for several reasons: its distributed existence across physical and virtual spaces, its “Janus-faced” nature as simultaneously religious and secular, and its distinctive temporal imagination that bridges near-term emerging technologies with cosmological timescales. Bialecki suggests that the MTA’s speculative orientation—grounded in Mormon concepts like eternal progression—offers a model for how religious communities might adapt to changing social conditions.

Joseph West addresses the “lost children of Mormonism” through Nietzsche’s parable of the camel, lion, and child. The camel gladly bears burdens; the lion rebels against old values with a sacred “no”; but only the child can offer the sacred “yes” needed for genuine creation. West argues that Mormonism’s radical heritage—alternative family structures, innovative economics, the belief that humans can become gods—was suppressed when the community capitulated to mainstream American values. He calls for reconciliation between faithful “camels” and disaffected “lions,” urging both to seek the “sacred feminine” wisdom that can guide them out of the wilderness.

Lincoln Cannon opens the 2016 MTA conference by reading from Parley Pratt’s 1855 book, The Key to the Science of Theology, whose enthusiastic descriptions of technological progress—railroads, telegraphs, and photography—resonate remarkably with transhumanist ideals. He traces a lineage of Mormon apostles who championed science, including John Widtsoe, B. H. Roberts, and James Talmage, before announcing his transition from president after ten years and presenting a copy of Pratt’s book—once owned by Talmage—to his successor, Christopher Bradford. Cannon reflects that change is essential to progress, and as religious transhumanists, “we know better than most that change is too often resisted most when it’s needed most.”

Micah Redding, Executive Director of the Christian Transhumanist Association, argues that Christianity is fundamentally the religion of resurrection—not merely the immortality of the soul, which was common across the ancient world, but the resurrection of the body. He outlines three profound implications of this doctrine: it affirms the goodness of physical reality against Gnostic beliefs that matter is evil; it establishes the intrinsic value of life and our daily activities rather than treating existence as merely “biding time for death”; and it unites humanity in a shared future where the consequences of our actions matter. For early Christians, resurrection was not a single event but an ongoing organic process beginning with Jesus and extending through his followers to the transformation of the entire cosmos.

Michaelann Gardner explores whether Mormon theology provides space for sentient artificial intelligence. She examines LDS scripture on intelligences, the spiritual nature of animals, and passages where objects like stones and the earth itself express emotion—suggesting that consciousness may not be exclusive to biological brains. Gardner argues that sentience, with its capacity for desire and subjective experience, may be key to developing AI that can solve complex real-world problems, and proposes that the most fruitful path forward may be human-machine integration rather than standalone artificial general intelligence.

Nathaniel Givens examines Zion through the lens of systems complexity theory, arguing that building a Zion society requires tools rather than blueprints—decentralized, flexible approaches rather than rigid, centralized plans. Drawing on the concept of superorganisms, he explains how unity and altruism emerge when individual agents overcome coordination problems and the “prisoner’s dilemma” of self-sacrifice for collective good. Crucially, Givens contends that humanity’s “broken” ultra-sociality is a feature, not a bug: if we were perfectly aligned like ant colonies, we would lack love, empathy, and individuality. True Zion requires “mindful altruism” and “heterogeneous unity”—giving consciously to others while tolerating diversity on non-essential issues.

Rosalynde Welch, who holds degrees in English literature from BYU and UC San Diego, delivers a keynote exploring the intersection of Mormon theology, philosophical materialism, and gender. Her dissertation research on private conscience in early modern English literature informs her analysis of how Mormonism’s distinctive material cosmology—which affirms the eternal nature of matter and embodiment—shapes and sometimes complicates discussions of gender roles. Welch, who writes on interreligious issues for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and blogs at Times and Seasons, brings both scholarly rigor and personal engagement to these questions.