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The Mormon Transhumanist Association congratulates and expresses support for James Clement, who has been appointed Executive Director of the World Transhumanist Association. The press release from the World Transhumanist Association follows.

WILLINGTON, Conn., Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of the World Transhumanist Association (“WTA”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. James Clement as its new Executive Director effective September 1, 2007.

About James Clement

The Mormon Transhumanist Association will present at the Sunstone Symposium in Salt Lake City on Friday 10 August 2007 at 10AM in the Salt Lake Sheraton City Centre Hotel.

Panel PRACTICAL FAITH IN PROPHETIC VISION

Abstract

TransVision 2007, the international conference of the World Transhumanist Association, will be held in Chicago, 23-26 July 2007.

Do you believe that emerging technology will give society the ability to solve the greatest challenges facing humanity? What’s the biggest priority: longevity therapies, sustainable energy, clean water, a restored environment, or space development?

As announced previously on this site, the March 2007 edition of Sunstone magazine featured as its cover article: “Transfiguration: Parallels and Complements between Mormonism and Transhumanism.” This article was written by members of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, and is intended primarily for a Mormon audience. It presents some basic Transhumanist ideas about the future and compares them to Mormon scripture and tradition.

We are happy to announce that the Sunstone Education Foundation has kindly allowed us to post an electronic copy of the article for free download, here:

[http://transfigurism.org/documents/transfiguration.pdf]

Enjoy!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of America’s fastest growing religions, and its influence circles the globe. Yet the birth of Mormonism and its history is one of America’s great neglected narratives. This four-hour documentary brings together FRONTLINE and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE in their first co-production to provide a searching portrait of this fascinating but often misunderstood religion.

[http://www.shoppbs.org/sm-pbs-the-mormons-dvd--pi-2657899.html]

The current edition of Sunstone Magazine features an article by the Mormon Transhumanist Association on its cover. The article is entitled “Transfiguration: Parallels and Complements between Mormonism and Transhumanism“. It is an adaptation, for a Mormon audience, of another document originally written by several members of the association. The article discusses similarities between Mormon and Transhumanist views of the future, relating the Fullness of Times to the Fourth Epoch, the Millennium to the Technological Singularity, and Joseph Smith’s teachings on worlds without end to Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom’s Simulation Argument.

The Mormon Transhumanist Association will be hosting a seminar on 28 April 2007, to present the content of the recent Sunstone Magazine cover article, “Transfiguration: Parallels and Complements between Mormonism and Transhumanism.” Carl Youngblood, Director of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, will present the article. Dan Wotherspoon, Executive Director of Sunstone Education Foundation, will respond. Lincoln Cannon, President of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, will comment. The event will be held in the conference hall of the Arnell-West building located at 3441 S 2200 W, Salt Lake City, Utah, just southeast of the E-Center.

Lincoln Cannon will represent the Mormon Transhumanist Association at the Sunstone Symposium West in San Francisco on 21 April at 2PM in the Clarion Hotel, San Francisco Airport.

Lincoln will present the paper “Transfiguration: Parallels and Complements between Mormonism and Transhumanism“, which is the cover article for the April 2007 issue of Sunstone magazine. Dan Wotherspoon, Executive Director of Sunstone Education Foundation, will respond.

The full program for Sunstone Symposium West is available here:

[http://www.sunstoneonline.com/symposium/new/2007-SF-prelim.pdf]

Registration is available here:

[http://www.sunstoneonline.com/symposium/symp-register.asp]

Sunday, April 29, 2007 - 10am PST/1pm EST/6pm UK

Uvvy Island, Second Life

James Hughes will present his paper “The Compatibility of Religious and Transhumanist Views of Metaphysics, Suffering, Virtue and Transcendence in an Enhanced Future“ (PDF).

Extropia DaSilva, a “transhumanist avatar” who writes some of the best mind expanding stuff about first and second life, the universe and everything, will give a talk in text.

William Sims Bainbridge will speak on the future of religion.

Giulio Prisco will summarize his article/book precis “Engineering Transcendence“.

Lincoln Cannon will speak on behalf of the Mormon Transhumanist Association.

Dear Fellow Transhumanist: This year, the World Transhumanist Association celebrates the 9th anniversary of what has become one of the most important gatherings of science, technology and policy leaders in the world: the TransVision 2007 global conference, to be held July 23-26 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago, IL. [http://transvision2007.com/] I hope you can join us.