Archive October 2010
This is an archive of articles that Lincoln Cannon published in October 2010. An annual archive for 2010 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's available on any of Lincoln's websites.
-
Trust in Posthumanity and the New God Argument
Here is a transcript of my speech on the New God Argument at the Transhumanism and Spirituality Conference 2010. If we will not go extinct before becoming posthumans then, given assumptions consistent with contemporary science and technological trends, posthumans probably already exist that are more benevolent than us and that ... -
Transfigurism
Transfigurism is exemplified by a syncretization of Mormonism and Transhumanism. Together, they illustrate the compatibility of religion, science, spirituality and technology in the following ways: Theology - Trust in posthuman potential entails that which qualifies as faith in God. Metaphysics - The basic assumptions of science lead to engineering miracles. ... -
Homosexuality: A Straight BYU Student's Perspective
My friend, Brad Carmack, would like to share with you a draft of his book, “Homosexuality: A Straight BYU Student’s Perspective”. It is a heart-felt and thought-provoking look, from the perspective of a faithful Mormon, at homosexuality as it relates to Mormon culture and religion. The book begins with an ... -
A Missionary's Practical Faith in Resurrection
Today, while looking through old journal entries, I came across the following passage, written when I was a missionary for the LDS Church: “He is God. He is a plurality of beings on the cutting edge of reality. He is the dictator of truth and the guardian of truth. He ... -
Ontological Matrices
These matrices help me visualize categories, or relations between key concepts, as I understand and use them in my writing. Relations are both within and between matrices. For example, here’s a relation within a matrix: individuals are to communities as anatomies are to environments. And here’s an example of a ... -
Can non-benevolent super-intelligence persist?
Recently, Joshua Fox gave an insightful presentation on why “super-intelligence does not imply benevolence.” Thanks to Michael Anissimov for bringing this to my attention. Joshua identifies two kinds of benevolence: instrumental and axiomatic. And he argues that neither is a necessary outcome for super-intelligence. He observes that instrumental benevolence results ...