Archive April 2008
This is an archive of articles that Lincoln Cannon published in April 2008. An annual archive for 2008 is available. And a full archive of all articles that Lincoln has published since 2005 is also available. You may also search for articles and other content that Lincoln has published on any of his websites.
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Clones and Your Evil Twin Brother
Clones are evil! At least, that’s what we’re often told. Popular media generally portrays clones in a negative light, such as the many copies of anthropomorphic human-hunting Cylons in Battlestar Galactica or the mindlessly obedient squadrons of emperial soldiers in Star Wars. In some academic circles, bioconservatives clamor about the ... -
10 Parallels of Mormon Thought to Engineering Vision
Next week, I’ll have the opportunity to meet with several Mormon scholars to discuss parallels between Mormon thought and engineering vision. The meeting has been organized by Scott Howe, of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, on behalf of Richard Bushman, who is the Claremont Colleges Howard W Hunter Chair of ... -
10 Reconciliations between Brains and Computers
Clark Goble, at his Mormon Metaphysics blog (which I highly recommend), recently posted on the question, “Brains like Computers?” In his post, he references an article written some time ago by Chris Chatham, at Developing Intelligence, on “10 Important Differences Between Brains and Computers.” In this post, I’ll share my ... -
James Hughes on Apocalypticism and Millennialism
I just came across an excellent article written by James Hughes, who is a director of the World Transhumanist Association. The article is entitled “Millennial Tendencies in Responses to Apocalyptic Threats”. Here is the abstract: Popular discussion of utopian possibilities and apocalyptic risks from new technologies is sometimes dismissed as ... -
Mormon Scholars on Engineering and Mormonism
I participated today in a conference call among several Mormon scholars on the subject of parallels between Mormon thought and engineering vision. As mentioned previously, the call was organized by Scott Howe, of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, on behalf of Richard Bushman. Richard is the Claremont Colleges Howard W ... -
The Value of Respect for Diverse Views
I’d like to echo a sentiment expressed today in a press release from the LDS Church. Mormonism, at its best, respects the diversity of views, both religious and non-religious, held by good persons throughout the world. We are together working for a better world, and bitter sectarian division is counter-productive ... -
Generalized Simulation Argument
I’ve blogged time and again about the Simulation Argument, particularly as formulated by Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom. Basically, the argument holds that either (A) we’re almost certainly living in an ancestor simulation, or (B) we’ll almost certainly never create many ancestor simulations. The first half (“A”) of the disjunct (we’re ... -
Misapplied Charges of Hubris
The World Informer blog characterizes Transhumanism as “The Last Temptation of Mankind.” The appeal, of course, is to hubris in the will to use technology to extend human capabilities. To say the least, there is a great deal of irony in these sorts of attacks on Transhumanism. To begin with, ... -
What If There's No Extraterrestrial Life?
Transhumanist philosopher Nick Bostrom contributed a recent Technology Review article, entitled “Where Are They?” In it, he writes: “I hope that our Mars probes discover nothing. It would be good news if we find Mars to be sterile. Dead rocks and lifeless sands would lift my spirit.” His reasoning is ...