Authors

Hank Pellissier is a freelance writer, speaker, and humanitarian activist whose work explores the intersections of cognitive enhancement, secular ethics, and global mutual aid. He is the author of Brighter Brains: 225 Ways to Raise or Injure IQ and Invent Utopia Now: Transhumanist Suggestions for the Pre-Singularity Era , as well as the editor of the essay collection Human Destiny is to Eliminate Death . Pellissier earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Master of Arts in Humanities from California State University, Dominguez Hills. His journalistic contributions have appeared in a variety of prominent outlets; he served as the “Local Intelligence” columnist for the New York Times (San Francisco edition) and has written extensively for Salon , SFGate , and GreatSchools.org . A significant portion of Pellissier’s career has been dedicated to the transhumanist and futurist movements. In 2012, he served as the Managing Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET). He later founded the Brighter Brains Institute (BBI), through which he organized the Transhuman Visions conference series in the San Francisco Bay Area. His work often emphasizes “transhumanitarianism”—a term he coined to advocate for the integration of radical generosity and humanitarian action within the transhumanist philosophy. At the Religion and Transhumanism Conference in 2014, he furthered this dialogue by exploring how technological progress can be harnessed to alleviate human suffering on a global scale. In recent years, Pellissier has shifted his focus toward international philanthropy through the Humanist Mutual Aid Network (formerly Humanist Global Charity). As its founder and director, he oversees projects that provide secular support to at-risk populations in Africa and South Asia. Through his writing and activism, Pellissier remains a vocal advocate for the use of technology and secular humanism to “create paradise on earth,” focusing on the tangible improvement of human intelligence and the eradication of poverty and disease.

Helen Adams Keller (1880–1968) was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist, and lecturer who became one of the most celebrated figures of the twentieth century. The first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, Keller’s life demonstrated the extraordinary capacity of the human spirit to transcend seemingly insurmountable limitations. Born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, Keller lost both her sight and hearing at nineteen months of age due to an illness—likely scarlet fever or meningitis. For the next five years, she lived in an isolated world, able to communicate only through crude gestures. Her life transformed in 1887 when Anne Sullivan, a partially blind teacher from the Perkins School for the Blind, arrived as her instructor. Sullivan’s breakthrough came when she spelled ‘w-a-t-e-r’ into Keller’s hand while pumping water over it—a moment that awakened Keller to the power of language and opened her world to understanding. Under Sullivan’s guidance, Keller learned to read, write, and eventually speak. She attended the Perkins School for the Blind and later the Cambridge School for Young Ladies. In 1904, she graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College, becoming the first deafblind person to earn a bachelor’s degree. Her education was supported in part by Mark Twain, who introduced her to Standard Oil magnate Henry Huttleston Rogers. Keller became a prolific author, publishing twelve books and numerous articles. Her autobiography, The Story of My Life (1903), written while she was still a student, became an international bestseller translated into fifty languages. She was also a committed political activist, advocating for women’s suffrage, labor rights, and socialism. She helped found the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and worked tirelessly for the American Foundation for the Blind from 1924 until her death. Keller’s legacy extends far beyond her personal achievements. She met every U.S. president from Grover Cleveland to Lyndon B. Johnson and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Johnson in 1964. Her life embodies themes central to transhumanist thought: the enhancement of human capabilities through technology and education, the transcendence of biological limitations, and the relentless pursuit of human flourishing. She famously wrote, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much,” reflecting her belief in collective human progress and the power of compassion to transform society.

Irina Rish is a prominent researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, with a particular focus on achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). She leads the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Autonomous AI, overseeing a large team of students, postdocs, interns, and collaborators. Her work explores the challenges and possibilities of creating AI systems that can generalize to a wide range of tasks and problems, mirroring human-level adaptability and learning capabilities. Rish’s research delves into the complexities of out-of-distribution generalization, aiming to develop AI agents capable of learning and performing tasks significantly different from their training data. She draws upon principles from statistics, machine learning, and classical AI to create systems that are not only capable of mastering specific skills but also demonstrate the capacity for continuous learning and adaptation, akin to human cognitive flexibility. Her work resonates with transhumanist themes by exploring the potential for AI to augment human intelligence and solve complex global challenges. Her presentation at the MTAConf 2024 focused on the technical aspects of AGI, emphasizing the importance of creating autonomous, multi-tasking systems capable of performing economically valuable work. Her engagement with the MTA highlights the intersection of AI research with philosophical and theological considerations regarding the future of humanity and the potential for technology to shape human evolution.

Jake Spurlock is a software engineer with a passion for the intersection of technology and culture. He previously worked at Wired Tech, where he oversaw digital publishing, content management, and web performance. Prior to his role at Wired, Jake led web development at Maker Media, managing the digital presence of Make Magazine and Maker Faire . He is a graduate of Utah Valley University, where he earned a degree in digital media. Originally from Utah, Jake now resides in the Bay Area with his wife and three children. He presented on “Mormons and Tech” at the Sunstone West 2016 conference, exploring the potential impact of emerging technologies—such as augmented reality devices like Microsoft’s HoloLens—on modern living and Mormon culture. Jake was encouraged to speak at the event by Lindsay, who also works with Sunstone. He originally presented at the Sunstone Symposium in Salt Lake.

James Carroll is a speaker and thinker focused on the drivers of technological progress and their implications for the future. He presented at the MTAConf 2014, examining the rate of technological change and questioning whether it is linear or exponential. His 2014 presentation sought to temper overly confident singularitarian views, such as those proposed by Raymond Kurzweil, suggesting that an exponential trajectory was uncertain at best. Building on his previous work, Carroll’s subsequent research has extended the discussion to include additional paradigms for innovation, specifically invention and specialization, trade, and the economics of scale (referred to as the ‘scale’ paradigm). He explores the relationships between these paradigms and population growth, arguing that technology impacts population size by enabling larger populations through advances in food production, reduced epidemics, and lower infant mortality rates. Carroll’s work considers both the impact of technological progress on society, and the societal factors that drive innovation. He argues that understanding these forces is crucial for assessing the potential for transhumanist visions to be realized, and for navigating the future of humanity in a rapidly changing world.

James L. Driessen is a Utah-based attorney, inventor, and active voice at the crossroads of law, technology, and transhumanist thought. With a career spanning over two decades in claims and litigation, he has focused his professional and intellectual energies on the systems—legal, digital, and mechanical—that govern human interaction and commerce. Currently serving as the Claims & Litigation Manager for Subrogation Division, Inc. in Spanish Fork, Utah, his work emphasizes the rigorous application of accountability within complex frameworks. In his presentation at the MTAConf 2012, titled “Foundations of Skeptical Operating Systems,” Driessen explored the critical need for robust methodologies in processing information and reality. Drawing on his legal background, he addressed the challenges of navigating systems where truth and functionality are often obscured. His concept of a “Skeptical Operating System” proposes a disciplined approach to validating data and experience, resonating with broader transhumanist inquiries into artificial intelligence, simulated realities, and the precise preservation of identity. Beyond his philosophical contributions, Driessen is the inventor of U.S. Patent No. 10,304,052, a “Retail Point of Sale Apparatus for Internet Merchandising.” This invention, designed to bridge the physical and digital worlds by facilitating web access through retail transactions, demonstrates his early recognition of the convergence of offline and online economies. His legal career includes defending such intellectual property, notably representing his interests in patent litigation against major global retailers to ensure the integrity of his innovations. Driessen’s work stands as a testament to the transhumanist goal of enhancing human capability through technology and rational inquiry. By applying the skepticism of a litigator to the optimism of a futurist, he embodies the drive to not only understand the future but to actively shape the structures that will support it. His diverse contributions highlight a commitment to ensuring that the “operating systems” of law, commerce, and human potential function with both precision and purpose.

James Felton Keith is an engineer, economist, and author known for his pioneering work in “Inclusionism,” a bio-political philosophy advocating for the economic recognition of every individual’s intrinsic value. His intellectual roots are deeply intertwined with the examination of systemic structures, as highlighted in his MTAConf 2012 presentation, Integrationalism: Spiritual Disincentives for Humanity . Here, he argued against traditional frameworks that hinder human progress, proposing instead an integrated approach that aligns technological advancement with human equity. Transitioning philosophical theory into economic practice, Keith has become a leading voice in redefining personal data as a natural resource. Through his book Data Is Labor and as the founder of the International Personal Data Trade Association (IPDTA), he posits that the digital information individuals generate constitutes a form of labor essential to corporate productivity. Consequently, he advocates for a “data dividend,” establishing legal and economic frameworks to return value directly to the people who create it. Bridging the “mind of a CEO and the heart of a social worker,” Keith’s work continues to shape the global dialogue on human rights in the digital age. His efforts to standardize inclusion and monetize personal data seek to ensure that the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution are universally distributed. By treating human life as the ultimate asset, Keith offers a roadmap for a future where economic systems are designed to sustain and empower humanity.

James J. Hughes is an American sociologist and bioethicist who serves as the executive director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. He is a leading advocate for democratic transhumanism. Hughes earned his PhD in sociology from the University of Chicago and has taught at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He is the author of Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future. His work explores the compatibility of religious and transhumanist views of metaphysics, consciousness, and human transformation. He argues that many religious traditions, including those that emphasize theosis or human divine potential, share common ground with transhumanist aspirations for human enhancement.

James McLean Ledford is a Christian transhumanist thinker and technologist whose work explores the convergence of faith, reason, and emerging technology. He came to broader attention within transhumanist circles through his participation in the Transhumanism and Spirituality conference held in 2010, where he presented on the theme of Christian transhumanism—situating the aspirations of the transhumanist movement within the theological and philosophical traditions of Christianity. In his 2010 presentation at the Transhumanism and Spirituality Conference, Ledford engaged with questions central to the Christian transhumanist philosophy: the moral imperative to overcome suffering and death, the relationship between human creativity and divine purpose, and the compatibility of technological enhancement with Christian anthropology. Drawing on scriptural and theological sources, he argued that the pursuit of radical human transformation need not stand in opposition to Christian faith, but may in fact represent a fulfillment of humanity’s God-given capacity for reason, creativity, and stewardship. His perspective reflects a tradition of thought that sees science and technology not as rivals to spiritual life, but as instruments through which humanity participates in an ongoing work of creation and redemption. Ledford’s engagement with these themes places him within a growing ecumenical movement of religiously committed transhumanists who seek to articulate a vision of the future that is at once technologically ambitious and spiritually grounded. Unlike secular transhumanism, which often brackets or dismisses metaphysical commitments, Christian transhumanism—as Ledford and others have framed it—insists that the deepest motivations for overcoming human limitation are themselves theological: rooted in love, hope, and the belief that creation is oriented toward flourishing. His work remains a meaningful contribution to the ongoing conversation between religious communities and transhumanist philosophy, a dialogue that the Mormon Transhumanist Association has been instrumental in fostering since its founding. Ledford’s willingness to engage these questions publicly, and to articulate a coherent Christian framework for thinking about technological transformation, reflects the kind of intellectually serious, spiritually committed engagement that this conversation requires.

James Nelson Gardner (May 5, 1946 – April 10, 2021) was an American lawyer, complexity theorist, and author whose cosmological speculations placed intelligence at the generative center of the universe itself. A Yale College and Yale Law School graduate, he served as a U.S. Supreme Court clerk and Oregon state senator before devoting much of his intellectual life to a far more expansive question: why does the universe appear so precisely calibrated to produce life and mind? Gardner’s answer, developed across peer-reviewed articles in Complexity and the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society and popularized in his books Biocosm (2003) and The Intelligent Universe (2007), was the “Selfish Biocosm” hypothesis. He argued that life and intelligence are not Darwinian accidents but are hardwired into cosmic evolution—that the universe’s bio-friendliness is the inheritance of a long lineage of intelligences who, in reaching the apex of their development, reproduced the cosmos itself by spawning “baby universes” endowed with the same life-generating properties. In Gardner’s vision, the destiny of highly evolved intelligence is nothing less than the infusion of the entire universe with life and the ultimate act of cosmic creation. For those who hold that intelligence is eternal and that divine creativity operates through natural processes, Gardner’s cosmology resonates with striking depth. The arc of his thought—intelligence as not merely a product of the cosmos but its architect and heir—maps naturally onto the Mormon transhumanist conviction that humanity’s progression toward Godhood is a real, physical, and cosmologically significant endeavor. Gardner did not speak in theological terms, but his insistence that the emergence of mind is the universe’s most consequential fact, and that sufficiently advanced intelligence becomes a creative force on a universal scale, opens conceptual ground that faith traditions oriented toward theosis and eternal progression have long inhabited from a different direction.