
Lincoln Cannon
56 FOLLOWERS
Lincoln Cannon is a technologist and philosopher, and leading advocate of Mormon Transhumanism.
Lincoln Cannon
1M ago
The Mormon Transhumanist Association in Africa recently invited me to speak. Because of their strong motivation and inspiring work, their membership has been growing rapidly. My understanding is that, since inception about a year ago, the African area of the association has grown to around 1000 members. Below is a lightly edited transcript of my sermon, which I delivered to them remotely. Friends, it’s good to be with you today. What I’d like to do is speak with you about the scriptures. In fact, I’d like to read the scriptures with you today. If you have your scriptures, I encourage you to ge ..read more
Lincoln Cannon
1M ago
Celebrity biohacker Bryan Johnson recently sent a provocative email to his followers. “I am the healthiest person on the planet,” he claims. True or not, he probably has your attention. I don’t have concerns with the sensationalism, at least not in itself. Hopefully Bryan is every bit as healthy as he claims. His data is impressive, to say the least. And I admire his courage and tenacity. But I do have some concerns with the ideology that Bryan promotes throughout the remainder of his email. He calls it “Don’t Die.” It could be a good start – better than so many alternatives vying for our hear ..read more
Lincoln Cannon
2M ago
It’s getting harder to be an atheist. A quarter century ago, it wasn’t so hard. But things have changed – quite dramatically. It has become increasingly difficult to remain an atheist while coherently aspiring to a thriving future for humanity. Now keep in mind that I’m not talking about atheism toward any narrow conception of God. It remains pretty easy to be that kind of atheist. I’m talking about atheism toward that which functions as God in the general sense, whether or not you can bring yourself to use the label “God.” In function, God always has been and is at least a superhuman projecti ..read more
Lincoln Cannon
2M ago
Singletons — centralized powers — are the greatest threat to the future of humanity. You think hacking of U.S. telecommunications by China is bad now? Next time it may be a superintelligent A.I. And it will use everything it knows to manipulate, control, and enslave you. Think the U.S. Government will save us? Not in its current form. Giving the executive branch more power to fight back only makes matters worse. And it almost certainly won’t willingly give up power. In its current form, it’s the world’s juiciest target for superintelligence. The solution is the opposite of a singleton arms rac ..read more
Lincoln Cannon
3M ago
Physicist and neuroscientist Àlex Gómez-Marín has a beef with “ the false religion of transhumanism.” Interesting title. It seems to suggest that he thinks there’s a true religion. I wonder what he thinks that is. His subtitle claims that Transhumanism is an “AI death cult.” Heard that before, about every religion that’s ever been large enough to gain a critic. And of course this criticism of Transhumanism is far from new. There’s some deep irony in the recurring claim that Transhumanism is a death cult. It usually comes from people who aspire to immaterial heavens or reject conceptions of hea ..read more
Lincoln Cannon
3M ago
Christian fundamentalists can be obtuse, particularly when expressing their opinions about Transhumanism. Shocker, I know. The latest to catch my attention is Matija Štahan, who writes about “ The Original Sin of Transhumanism: The Desire to Be Like God.” Ah, Matija, how carefully have you read your Bible? According to the good book, the desire to be like God actually isn’t a sin. To the contrary, it’s encouraged. Arguably, it’s even commanded. Jesus, as usual, says it best. “ Be ye therefore perfect. ” How’s that Jesus? “Even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” You might want to th ..read more
Lincoln Cannon
4M ago
As popularly understood, Transhumanism is deeply entangled with narratives of atheism. While secular Transhumanists champion radical transformation, they tend to lack the rich esthetic grounding that many inherit or receive from religion. Religious Transhumanism, and particularly Mormon Transhumanism, provides a compelling alternative, syncretizing contemporary science and emerging technological trends with traditional theology and liturgy. In a recently published paper, “ From Atheism to Transhumanism,” Jarosław Jagiełło takes a critical look at secular Transhumanism. He argues that atheism f ..read more
Lincoln Cannon
4M ago
Once in time, a mission girl and I met on the streets of Aix. We couldn’t dance. We couldn’t touch, or talk as anyone expects. But even a philosopher like me saw heaven in her eyes. So, eventually, I asked. We married fast. It wasn’t wise. When I hold her hand and wonder, I don’t have to look too far. However we began, whether word divine or dust of star, Whatever we become, whether dust again or mind sublime, All eternity can be for me with Dorothée in time. Time again, a mother held her growing womb with tender hands, The same that pulled me close as people buried Dad in timeless sands. Like ..read more
Lincoln Cannon
4M ago
Yesterday and today, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest Mormon denomination, gathered for our General Conference. General Conference is a long-standing tradition, generally held two times per year since 1830. My understanding is that there have only been two or three exceptions, depending on how we count. There were no conferences in 1846 due to complexities associated with leaving Nauvoo. And there was only one of two conferences in 1957 because of a pandemic. For the last couple decades, it has also been a tradition for some Church members to share our th ..read more
Lincoln Cannon
5M ago
After reading my recent article on “ The Technological Conception,” a friend suggested to me that I might be leaving some value on the table, so to speak. His concern was, essentially, that my preference for simplicity might have led me to an insufficient explanation for real possibilities with greater overall practical value. In other words, God might occasionally have solid practical reason for miraculous conception rather than simple conception – still natural, but perhaps more technological than biological. My friend was right. There’s more to say about miracles, especially from a practica ..read more