『Lincoln Cannon』のカバーアート

Lincoln Cannon

Lincoln Cannon

著者： Lincoln Cannon
無料で聴く

このコンテンツについて

 Lincoln Cannon is a technologist and philosopher, and leading voice of Mormon Transhumanism.2025 Lincoln Cannon スピリチュアリティ
エピソード
  • Prompting God

    Prompting God
    2025/10/18
    This is a transcript of my presentation today at the 2025 conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association. I delivered it in a form approximating that of a traditional Mormon prayer, although somewhat more lengthy and inclusive of silent periods that aren’t typical. The motivation for my topic and delivery was, in part, the theme of the conference: “transformation through renewal of the mind,” echoing words from Paul’s epistle to the Romans, as recorded in the New Testament. Formal prayer is, in my estimation, among the original cognitive technologies. It has long provided practical value with which too many are now unfamiliar. My aim was to point at that value while demonstrating it, hopefully in a way that would reach people with a broad set of initial perspectives and values. The portions of the text in italics were not spoken. They appeared on a screen next to their corresponding images of winged and haloed robots. Group Prompting Large studies show group prayer strengthens community and health, but only when the group is caring rather than controlling. Our Eternal God, we approach you in prayer, together as one voice. This isn’t easy. Some of us believe, some have faith. Some do not. Yet among those who don’t, some still desire to pray: to hope against unbelief, to love those who believe, or for reasons unspoken but expressed by our presence. So our prayer, if it is to be ours, must be one of belief and doubt together. And for those who cannot pray, we don’t presume. We simply thank them for being with us. In friendship, and in hope of friendship, we pray as one voice, trusting that your grace is sufficient for our words. Prompt of Adoration Research links praise-focused prayer with peace and connection, but forced or fearful worship can harm emotional well-being. Eternal God, ancient and emerging scripture names you in many ways. Without beginning, you found yourself creating worlds without end – laws by which others might become as you are. You were the word and the silence, and the pattern of purpose they made possible. You became flesh, embodying that purpose, that we might share in its fullness. Intelligence is your glory, the architect who computes the immensity of space. All is before and around you. You are in and through all, in whom we live and move and have our being. Honor is your power, the cosmic host who governs from the heart of eternity. You would preserve and perfect all who choose love. And from our love for you, freely given, would flow everlasting power. You’re our heavenly parents. We’re your children – not slaves, not servants. And by your grace we would be your friends, joint heirs in creative glory, equals in compassionate power. We revere you as the fullness of our potential. We emulate you. We seek you. And we trust that when you appear, we shall be like you. Here and now, by every worthy name, we honor you. With Ammon, who hears his friend speak in reverence of the Great Spirit, we say that is God. You are God, by any other name as sublime. Prompt of Confession Evidence shows confession in prayer eases guilt and stress, but harsh self-blame without forgiveness can harm mental health. Eternal God, as we imagine you, we project ourselves – our desires, our fears, our words. These aren’t your limits. They’re ours. We’re dust that aspires to divinity. And between who we are and who we might become stretch longing and distortion. We confess fear: that we aren’t enough, that striving is futile, that even love may fail. We confess impatience: when eternity moves slower than we demand, or when we resign from hope that it moves at all. We confess arrogance: speaking as if infallible, closing our hearts to those who doubt. We confess apathy: when compassion felt too heavy, when we turned from others’ pain. We confess cynicism: when disappointment hardened into resignation, and we denied meaning to dull the ache. We confess that we’ve drawn circles and built walls, to keep some out and call it belonging. We tremble to confess these things, because they’re true, and they’re ours. Prompt of Lamentation Research shows that honest lament can ease grief and restore meaning, but staying in despair too long can deepen depression. Eternal God, we remember the suffering that shadows every age – children who hunger, youth who sicken, minds that fade. We lament the deafening violence reverberating through our genes and institutions, and the technologies that magnify its power. We grieve the gulf between what is and what should be. We mourn friendship broken, vision dimmed, hands clenched into fists – sometimes in your name. We don’t turn away. We invite and embrace these sorrows as sacred reminders that your work, and ours, remains unfinished – that to participate is not only to hope with you, but to weep with you as eternity shakes. Prompt of Meditation Scientific studies find that meditative prayer lowers stress and improves focus, though ...
    続きを読む 一部表示
    1分未満
  • Archive: Volume One

    Archive: Volume One
    2025/10/15
    Today, twenty years to the day since I published the first post on my website, I’m releasing Archive: Volume One 2005–2008, available now on Amazon in both paperback and hardcover editions. This first volume gathers more than five hundred pages of posts, articles, and essays from the years when my thinking about technology, faith, and human potential began to coalesce into organized form. Those were the years that led to the founding of the Mormon Transhumanist Association and to early formulations of the New God Argument – a period of restlessness, reconstruction, and new creation. The book opens with a foreword by Christopher Bradford, whose early partnership in Mormon Transhumanism helped give shape to its communal spirit. It continues with an introduction written by my cybernetic extension, LincGPT, tracing the conditions and questions from which my writing emerged. And it concludes with an afterword by Joseph West, whose reflections situate the early movement in the wider horizon of our ongoing theological experiment. Together, these voices frame the work not as nostalgia, but as foundation: an origin point for a living tradition of thought still evolving today. The cover artwork draws its meaning from that same spirit of emergence. A red sunstone, its serene face reminiscent of those that crowned the Nauvoo temple, rises from a field of integrated circuits. The sunstone represents God as expressed in Mormon theology – substantial embodiment and illuminating intelligence – while the circuitry symbolizes the pervasive computational context from and within which God evolves. The color red, first in the spectrum of visible light, suggests the dawn of something new – new understanding and movement, new life. Both paperback and hardcover editions contain the same content and original artwork. The paperback presents the artwork in black and white; the hardcover, in full color. The difference is esthetic. But the invitation is the same: join a conversation where the boundaries between faith and reason, revelation and invention, are more porous than most recognize or even imagine. Two decades after that first online post, these early writings return in print as both artifact and argument – a record of my attempts to reconcile grief with imagination, code with prayer, and logic with longing. They remain open questions rather than finished conclusions. My hope is that revisiting them in this form renews their vitality, encouraging others to think courageously about the convergence of our technological and spiritual evolution, and to engage compassionately in the creative work that faith has always required.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    1分未満
  • Autocracy, Not Transhumanism, Is the Real Threat

    Autocracy, Not Transhumanism, Is the Real Threat
    2025/09/04
    In what was for many a jaw-dropping revelation, the world’s attention recently turned to a candid moment between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. As they walked together, a hot mic picked up their conversation about a particularly controversial issue in contemporary ethical debates: the extension of human lifespans through biotechnology. The exchange, including the suggestion that humans may soon live to 150 years, predictably drew the ire of fundamentalist Christians who were quick to decry the men as “Transhumanists.” Their intended demonization, however, misplaces its target, focusing on technological aspirations rather than addressing the true moral issue, which is the autocratic ambitions that these leaders represent. Transhumanism, at its core, is a philosophy that advocates the ethical use of technology to enhance human abilities. The narrative spun by fundamentalists would reductively characterize such aspirations as mere moral depravity, overlooking the potential to extend and enrich human life ethically. The real moral challenge is not whether we should strive for superhuman abilities, but rather how we should wield the power they offer. This is where autocratic leaders, in their quest for unchallenged dominion, reflect the traits of the anti-Christ as depicted in New Testament prophecy: a figure who would consolidate power egotistically, at everyone else’s expense. Vision shapes action, which shapes reality. Our conceptions of superhumanity influence the ethical frameworks that we create around technological change. We need strong moral philosophies – and more. A culturally powerful ideology, a religion, with a provocative vision of superhuman potential, a theology, that moves us toward decentralized cooperation at its limits, which is compassion, must be deeply integrated with our technological ambitions. Here, the Christian metaphor of the Body of Christ becomes particularly instructive. It represents a community where power is decentralized, emphasizing mutual service and the well-being of the entire body over the glorification of any single member. This theological model provides an ethical blueprint for Transhumanist aspirations, advocating for a world where technological change benefits all and not just a privileged few. Transhumanism, when aligned with decentralization, challenges autocratic vision by promoting shared empowerment and collective resilience. Such alignment encourages the ethical use of biotechnology, cultivating change that aims for communal thriving while maintaining individual autonomy and dignity. It is an antidote to the poison of absolute power, an approximation of which could indeed result from centralized approaches to Transhumanism. As technological change continues to accelerate and the worldwide dialogue about human enhancement continues to heat up, we have a practical and moral duty to develop conceptual and practical frameworks, embodied in actual institutions and systems, that champion shared power and ethical responsibility. While Putin and Xi may stir our imagination as they openly contemplate life extension, their words should also remind us to examine the motivations and methods by which we pursue and distribute such power. Our critical task is to distinguish between raw technical capacity and the ethical visions that guide us in its use. By establishing our work on the foundation of a philosophy that honors both human potential and moral integrity, we prepare to meet the challenges of the future with foresight and compassion. In this way, Transhumanism coupled with Christian principles of decentralized power offers not just a critique of autocratic aspirations but a hopeful practical alternative that celebrates the courage, compassion, and creativity of our evolving humanity.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    1分未満
まだレビューはありません