Videos

Anthropologist John Bialecki examines what transhumanism means for a social science that defines itself as the study of the human. He traces anthropology’s Boasian tradition of treating humanity as remarkably plastic yet culturally dependent, then asks whether posthuman transformations—particularly radical scenarios like Churchland’s networked "centipede" minds—would place future beings beyond the reach of ethnographic methods. Bialecki proposes that anthropology’s capacity to study a transformed subject might serve as a test for whether that transformation enhances or abandons what we recognize as human.

George Handley outlines ten distinctive LDS doctrines that provide theological resources for environmental stewardship, including the belief that Earth is humanity's intended eternal home rather than a mere way station, that bodies and sensory experience are to be treasured, and that all life forms were created spiritually before physically and are entitled to "multiply and replenish." He emphasizes that LDS teachings on creation from unorganized matter (rather than ex nihilo) imply reverence for natural processes, while scriptures like the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Consecration mandate eating locally, consuming sparingly, and redistributing resources to the poor. Handley argues that the Anthropocene demands Latter-day Saints bring together both scientific literacy and religious values to adequately respond to environmental challenges.

Steven Peck challenges the deterministic "block universe" of Laplace's demon, arguing that genuine randomness—rooted in quantum events—bubbles up through biology to create an open, evolving cosmos. Drawing on chaos theory, emergence, and evolutionary biology, he contends that novelty is continuously generated in ways that were never predetermined at the Big Bang. For Peck, this openness has profound theological implications: if God has an embodied, biological nature, then faith, hope, and charity are not merely earthly virtues but eternal necessities for navigating a universe where the future remains genuinely unwritten.

Amit Goswami argues that quantum physics reveals a reality beyond space-time—a domain of potentiality from which consciousness chooses what becomes actual. He presents experimental evidence for nonlocal communication between correlated minds, showing that intention and meditation can produce measurable brain activity in distant subjects. Goswami applies these principles to health and healing, proposing that blocked emotions—particularly suppressed love associated with the heart chakra—can impair immune function and contribute to diseases like breast cancer. He advocates for a science that treats humans not as machines but as conscious beings capable of participating in their own healing through quantum leaps of insight and transformation.

Roger Hansen examines the lives and ideas of three early twentieth-century thinkers—John A. Widtsoe, Alfred North Whitehead, and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin—whose work offers valuable insights for religious transhumanists. Drawing on their shared beliefs in evolutionary progress, the interconnectedness of life, and the compatibility of science and religion, Hansen argues that these "spiritual exemplars" provide a theological foundation for eternal progression and the ongoing technological revolution. He suggests that Widtsoe's commitment to reconciling LDS theology with science, Whitehead's process philosophy, and Teilhard's vision of humanity evolving toward an "Omega Point" all resonate deeply with Mormon transhumanist aspirations.

Kathy Wilson reflects on her journey from traditional Mormonism toward a broader mystical worldview, arguing that religious belief systems should be capable of expanding alongside scientific discovery. She finds alignment between Mormon doctrines—such as eternal progression, intelligence as "light and truth," and the metaphysical nature of restoration events like angelic visitations—and metaphysical concepts explored by scientists like Amit Goswami and Lynn McTaggart. Wilson praises the Mormon Transhumanist Association for thinking "out of the box" about resurrection, transfiguration, and the possibility of extending human life through technology, seeing these explorations as responsible engagement with Mormonism's more unconventional beliefs rather than passive acceptance of doctrine.