Videos

Kathryn Knight Sonntag examines the interconnected silencing of women and degradation of the natural world through the lens of ecofeminism and LDS theology. Drawing on Clarissa Pinkola Estés’s work on the wild woman archetype, she argues that patriarchal structures have severed both women and nature from their essential wildness, with devastating spiritual and ecological consequences. Sonntag traces the divine feminine through ancient Israelite temple worship, identifying Asherah—the tree of life—as the exiled Heavenly Mother whose wisdom once sealed creation’s sacred interconnections.

This presentation examines the passive voice in the Tenth Article of Faith—“the earth will be renewed”—exploring who the agent of that renewal might be. The speaker outlines three scenarios: God alone will renew the earth, the agent is unknown but we should improve the world anyway, or humanity and our descendants are called to be the renewers. Drawing on Carl Youngblood’s work on prophetic voice and Joseph Smith’s egalitarian vision of revelation, the presentation argues that the passive voice neither names nor excludes any possible agent—leaving room for us to take responsibility. The speaker concludes with self-authored “scriptures” challenging listeners to embrace their prophetic calling, warning that the earth’s renewal is possible but not inevitable.

Ben Romney proposes a gradient rubric for quantifying the moral weight of human and non-human beings based on their capacity for happiness rather than intelligence. The rubric combines six measurable parameters—observed emotional behavior, neuron count, self-awareness, memory capacity, potential, and external utility—to produce a score from 0 to 100. Romney argues this framework could guide ethical decisions about animal welfare, self-driving car algorithms, and expanding our circle of moral concern to the twenty quintillion animals sharing our planet.

Carl Youngblood’s presentation, “Reframing Environmentalist Narratives,” challenges conventional wisdom about humanity’s relationship with nature, particularly the romanticized view of pre-agricultural societies. He argues that prehistoric humans significantly altered their environments, perhaps even more drastically than modern populations when considering their smaller numbers. Youngblood suggests that outdated linear thinking, as seen in Malthusian theories, fails to account for accelerating technological advancements and their potential to reshape our relationship with the environment in the transhuman age.

Connie Packer, Vice President of the MTA, delivers a status update on the association’s activities during the 2020 virtual conference—the first held digitally due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She reports that the MTA has grown to 954 members and outlines the upcoming board elections, highlighting the association’s charitable work through Kiva microloans, which have funded over 400 loans since 2013. Packer announces the organization’s strategic focus on publishing quality content about transhumanism and Mormon transhumanism, including a forthcoming podcast.

David Pearce presents his vision for “paradise engineering”—using biotechnology to eliminate involuntary suffering throughout the living world. Beginning with Isaiah’s peaceable kingdom where “the wolf shall dwell with the lamb,” Pearce argues that such visions are no longer ecologically illiterate fantasies but technically achievable goals. He discusses CRISPR gene editing, synthetic gene drives, and the programmability of hedonic set points, suggesting that we could choose the pain sensitivity and baseline well-being of future generations. Pearce also advocates for cultured meat as a way to end factory farming—a transition he calls both morally imperative and practically beneficial given the zoonotic origins of pandemics.

James Carroll examines whether technological progress depends primarily on invention or on population-driven specialization, trade, and economies of scale. Historical evidence from isolated populations in Tasmania and the Andaman Islands suggests that technological regression can occur when population sizes shrink, even when people retain knowledge of advanced techniques. Carroll argues that sustaining exponential technological growth while protecting Earth’s environment may require advances in 3D printing, AI, and robotics to decouple innovation from population size—alongside space colonization to expand human numbers without increasing terrestrial population density.

Jeremy Hadfield, a philosophy, neuroscience, and computer science student at Dartmouth and intern at the Qualia Research Institute, presents the symmetry theory of valence—a framework for quantifying happiness and suffering. He proposes that mental states feel good or bad based on the symmetry of brain processes: consonant, symmetrical neural oscillations correlate with positive experiences, while dissonant patterns correlate with suffering. Using connectome-specific harmonic waves—mathematical tools borrowed from acoustics and applied to brain imaging—researchers can measure these patterns and potentially test the theory. Hadfield explores applications including understanding why meditation increases well-being, why exposure to nature improves mood, and how this framework might eventually allow us to communicate what “good” and “bad” mean to artificial intelligence in precise, measurable terms.

This presentation reframes the relationship between deep ecology and transhumanism as a dialectical pairing rather than an adversarial opposition, drawing on the speaker’s professional background in psychotherapy where acceptance and change strategies work together. While deep ecologists tend to view technology worship as a root problem and emphasize the inherent worth of all living systems, transhumanists place faith in science and technology to solve problems of human and nonhuman flourishing. The speaker proposes that both movements share concern for well-being beyond anthropocentrism, and suggests that transhumanists might benefit from contemplative acceptance practices—not as resignation, but as a foundation from which more sustainable change can emerge.

Leika Patch, a BYU environmental science student, examines the disconnect between Latter-day Saint theology—which strongly supports environmental stewardship—and the climate skepticism prevalent among church members. She presents her work with the Mormon Environmental Stewardship Alliance (MESA), showing social media posts that pair quotes from church leaders like President Oaks and President Nelson with scientific data on climate change. Patch identifies three factors driving resistance: political conservatism, church culture that avoids environmental topics, and distrust of science. Despite encountering hostile responses online, she highlights encouraging comments and reports that church leaders at various levels are increasingly engaged with sustainability issues.