Last month, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints met for our semi-annual General Conference. I’m a practicing member of the Church, which is by far the largest Mormon denomination. And I watched the conference online while

What If It All Works Out?

Sep 15th, 2020

What if the best prophecies are fulfilled? What if the worst are avoided? What if, by the grace of God, we make heaven on Earth? What will that look like? Such questions come from one of my favorite professional anthropologists, Jon Bialecki. H

Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?

Aug 22nd, 2020

A multiple-choice question about God bubbled to the top of my Facebook feed. It asked, “Why doesn’t God stop bad things from happening?” And it offered four options as answers: a) God can’t stop bad things. b) God won’t stop bad things. c) God

The Last Wagon?

Jul 25th, 2020

Today’s the day after Pioneer Day. The fireworks are now silent. The embers are dark. And I’m thinking about what comes after. Imagine, with me, the last wagon, long after the first pioneers. What is it that we see? Is the ox team that pulls it

The True Church

Jul 2nd, 2020

I’m a practicing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest Mormon denomination. I love and support the Church, its members, and its leaders. But that doesn’t mean that I always agree with all of them, all of the tim

Are We at the End of the World? Or the Beginning?

Jun 27th, 2020

What a spring! Pandemic, shutdowns, layoffs, protests, riots – not to mention earthquakes and rumors of, what, murder hornets? I wouldn’t blame you if you’re tempted to think it’s the end of the world. But I’ve got a proposal for you. Instead o

Kernel Announces Neuroscience-as-a-Service (NaaS)

May 6th, 2020

Kernel, the neurotech startup funded and led by Bryan Johnson, has been working quietly for four years. Finally, yesterday, they announced more information. They plan, at least initially, to focus on brain monitoring. And their first offering i

From Coronavirus to Compassion

Mar 12th, 2020

Today, COVID-19 is ravaging our world. Some of us are suffering physically. All of us are suffering socially and economically. I don’t know for sure what will happen tomorrow. But I know what must happen. You do too, I trust, intuitively if no

What Happens When FM-2030 Is Resurrected?

Mar 7th, 2020

I thought I was sitting down to watch another Transhumanist-themed documentary. I was wrong. No. I don’t have anything against documentaries about Transhumanists or Transhumanism. To the contrary, I’m a huge fan. You might even find me feature

The Ultimate Battlestar Galactica Watch Order

Feb 26th, 2020

I love Battlestar Galactica. The story and characters inspire me. The reimagined TV series and movies bring them to life. And I recently decided to watch the show again – even better the second time! But I ran into a problem when I was getting

The Second War in Heaven

21 days ago

I’m happy to be here with you, at the 2024 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, in the morning of a day that promises to illuminate our imagination, perhaps even to spark action. Eighteen years ago, fourteen of us began to share

Aspire to Embodied Immortality

Mar 31st, 2024

This Easter morning, while thinking about the hope of resurrection, a friend reached out to me with questions about Bible descriptions of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He had asserted to some Christians that “Jesus was resurrected with his

What Is True and Good?

Mar 19th, 2024

Consequent to discussion about epistemology at a meetup of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, a friend asked me to remind her of my definitions of “truth” and “good.” This article will serve that purpose. It will also provide a brief account

The Church on Artificial Intelligence

Mar 14th, 2024

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published some statements about artificial intelligence (AI). The Church is by far the largest Mormon denomination – and that of which I’m a member. Its statements influence the perspectives and a

How to Conduct Future Shock

Feb 24th, 2024

After watching a demonstration of Sora, Tyler Perry canceled plans for an $800 million expansion of his movie studio. “It’s shocking to me.” Sora is an AI that converts text into video. It’s the latest iteration of development from OpenAI, the

Great Works Begin with Small Tools

Feb 7th, 2024

During Sunday School, I led the congregation in a discussion about chapters 16 through 18 of First Nephi in the Book of Mormon. While preparing for and during the discussion, I was again inspired by the way these chapters repeatedly position te

The Practical Power of Created Truth

Jan 12th, 2024

Philosophers and scientists have pursued truth for at least millennia. Most seem to want something rigid that we might associate with “the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” But I contend that pursuit of truth, depending on how we conceive

Cosmic Expansion Driven by Mormon Transhumanism

Jan 8th, 2024

Humanity will soon embark on an unprecedented journey – or at least our technology will soon go where none of it has gone before. As described by Pam Weintraub writing for Aeon, someone will probably launch an automated spacecraft that initiate

Any Sufficiently Advanced Intelligence

Dec 17th, 2023

Arthur C. Clarke, a distinguished science fiction writer and futurist, made significant contributions to literature that continue to inspire countless dreamers and thinkers. Clarke’s ability to combine astute observations of the present with th

A Dialogue of Faith with Jesus and Socrates

Dec 4th, 2023

In an ancient grove, Jesus and Socrates sit across from each other, embraced by olive trees and bathed in golden light from the slowly setting sun. Socrates’ gaze is penetrating. Jesus’ regard is peaceful. They begin to converse. Science and Fa

The Cyborg of Temple Square

Nov 19th, 2023

In the heart of Salt Lake City, not far from where the spires of the Salt Lake Temple pierced the night sky, Eli Cannon worked in solitude. His mechanical fingers moved with precision over a holographic interface, adjusting security protocols f

Our Spiritual and Technological Evolution

Oct 12th, 2023

As the line between human and artificial life is increasingly blurred, our apprehension in the apocalypse of intelligence is steadily mounting. This escalating fear may be, even arguably is, inevitable. Humans fear the unfamiliar – the uncharte

Can AI Admit the Possibility of Its Inspiration?

Oct 6th, 2023

If God exists, as I trust for practical and esthetic reasons, God would surely be capable of subtle intervention in our experience. Like engineers could intervene in the algorithms of their software, without the software being capable of monito

Mormon on “Don’t Die, by Zero” AKA Bryan Johnson

Oct 3rd, 2023

I just finished and enjoyed reading Don’t Die, by Zero, a novel by Bryan Johnson. Currently, Bryan is probably the most (in)famous biohacker in the world. He’s a tech entrepreneur, and the founder of Braintree Financial and Kernel. And I have t

A Mormon Take on “Don’t Die” by Zero AKA Bryan Johnson

Sep 29th, 2023

I just finished reading Don’t Die, by Zero, a novel by Bryan Johnson. Currently, Bryan is probably the most (in)famous biohacker in the world. He’s a tech entrepreneur, and the founder of Braintree Financial and Kernel. And I have the good fort