Mormon Transhumanist Association Member Survey 2008

1. Please confirm your name, location and email address.

Response Response
Percent Count

Name: 100.0% 51

City/Town: 100.0% 51

State: 92.2% 47

Country: 100.0% 51

Email Address: 100.0% 51

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2. Are you comfortable identifying yourself as the following?

Almost Almost Response

Always Sometimes Never
Always Never Count

Mormon 59.2% (29) 18.4% (9) 8.2% (4) 4.1% (2) 10.2% (5) 49

Transhumanist 36.2% (17) 23.4% (11) 27.7% (13) 12.8% (6) 0.0% (0) 47

Mormon Transhumanist 30.6% (15) 20.4% (10) 32.7% (16) 8.2% (4) 8.2% (4) 49

Transfigurist 26.1% (12) 19.6% (9) 21.7% (10) 17.4% (8) 15.2% (7) 46

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3. Which of these best describes your perspective on God?

Response Response
Percent Count

Agnostic 14.0% 7

Atheist 4.0% 2

Theist (Any Form) 76.0% 38

No Opinion 6.0% 3

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4. Which of these best describes your religious affiliation?

Response Response
Percent Count

The Church of Jesus Christ of

82.0% 41
Latter-day Saints (LDS)

Non-LDS Mormon Religion 0.0% 0

Non-Mormon Christian Religion 0.0% 0

Non-Christian Abramic Religion 0.0% 0

Other Religion 8.0% 4

No Affiliation 10.0% 5

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5. Which of these best describes your political perspective?

Response Response
Percent Count

Not Political 2.1% 1

Anarchist 6.3% 3

Centrist 20.8% 10

Libertarian 20.8% 10

Liberal 29.2% 14

Conservative 16.7% 8

Populist 4.2% 2

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6. Do you agree with the following statements?

Response
Yes No Undecided
Count

People have a right to use

technology to extend their mental
and physical (including reproductive) 95.8% (46) 0.0% (0) 4.2% (2) 48
capacities and to improve their
control over their own lives.

Human genetic engineering is

2.1% (1) 89.4% (42) 8.5% (4) 47
wrong because it is "playing God".

By being generally open and

embracing of new technology we
have a better chance of turning it to 97.8% (45) 0.0% (0) 2.2% (1) 46
our advantage than if we try to ban or
prohibit it.

I expect human progress to result

from human accomplishment in
87.2% (41) 4.3% (2) 8.5% (4) 47
addition to (or rather than) divine
intervention, grace, or redemption.

It would be a good thing if people

could become many times more 91.3% (42) 0.0% (0) 8.7% (4) 46
intelligent than they currently are.

It would be a good thing if people

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 could live (in good health) for 70.2% (33) 8.5% (4) 21.3% (10) 47
hundreds of years or longer.

Women should have the right to

63.0% (29) 13.0% (6) 23.9% (11) 46
terminate their pregnancies.

My ethical code advocates the well-

being of all sentient beings, whether
in artificial intellects, humans, 78.3% (36) 8.7% (4) 13.0% (6) 46
neohumans, or non-human
animals.

I would consider having my mind

uploaded to computers if it was the
60.9% (28) 17.4% (8) 21.7% (10) 46
only way I could continue as a
conscious person.

Parents should be able to have

children through cloning once the 56.5% (26) 13.0% (6) 30.4% (14) 46
technology is safe.

Human nanotechnology and genetic

engineering will always be 0.0% (0) 93.5% (43) 6.5% (3) 46
dangerous and should be banned.

There are clear divinely-set limits on

21.7% (10) 58.7% (27) 19.6% (9) 46
what humans should do.

My concept of "the meaning of life" is

derived from human responsibility
78.3% (36) 4.3% (2) 17.4% (8) 46
and opportunity in addition to (or
rather than) divine revelation.

A chimpanzee modified to think and

communicate like a human being 73.9% (34) 10.9% (5) 15.2% (7) 46
should be granted human rights.

People should be allowed to

experiment with recreational drugs 54.3% (25) 21.7% (10) 23.9% (11) 46
so long as they don't harm others.

Robots who think and feel like

human beings, and aren't a threat to
60.9% (28) 17.4% (8) 21.7% (10) 46
human beings, should be granted
human rights.

I would consider being frozen and

re-animated later if it was the only 48.9% (23) 34.0% (16) 17.0% (8) 47
way I could continue living.

The goal of ethics and morals

should be the happiness and well 91.3% (42) 6.5% (3) 2.2% (1) 46
being of all people.

Parents should be able to choose

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 the sex, intelligence and other 36.2% (17) 17.0% (8) 46.8% (22) 47
characteristics of their children.

Although we may devise better

political systems in the future, multi-
party democracies with civil liberties 76.6% (36) 6.4% (3) 17.0% (8) 47
for individuals are the best of the
existing political orders.

Humans and neohumans will be

able to coexist in one society and 55.3% (26) 2.1% (1) 42.6% (20) 47
polity.

Emerging technologies will cause

an abrupt, cataclysmic, worldwide 28.3% (13) 23.9% (11) 47.8% (22) 46
social change by 2040.

Joseph Smith’s description of

material spirit parallels the idea of
substrate independence, which is
43.5% (20) 10.9% (5) 45.7% (21) 46
an assumption on which the
feasibility of mind uploading and
computed worlds depends.

The Mormon idea of God organizing

worlds after emerging within chaos
65.2% (30) 6.5% (3) 28.3% (13) 46
parallels technological evolution
superseding biological evolution.

Mormon scriptural accounts of

inspiration and salvation enabled
through tools and work parallel 71.7% (33) 4.3% (2) 23.9% (11) 46
engineering approaches to solving
problems.

Prophecies about the dispensation

of the fullness of times parallel our
present observation of exponentially 75.6% (34) 8.9% (4) 15.6% (7) 45
accelerating scientific and
technological advance.

Scriptural examples of evaded

negative prophecies and conditional
positive prophecies parallel
47.8% (22) 17.4% (8) 34.8% (16) 46
possibilities of probabilistic social
engineering enabled by information
technology.

Apocalyptic, messianic and

millenarian expectations parallel
opportunities and risks attributed to 50.0% (23) 19.6% (9) 30.4% (14) 46
artificial general intelligence and the
technological singularity.

Millenarian prophecies of prolonged

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life spans and worldwide prosperity
parallel predictions of engineered
63.0% (29) 6.5% (3) 30.4% (14) 46
radical life extension and
superabundance associated with
molecular assemblers.

Prophecies of eternal spiritual and

physical progression through
ordinances of transfiguration and
resurrection to innumerable and
differing glories parallel 74.5% (35) 6.4% (3) 19.1% (9) 47
Transhumanists’ anticipation of
diverse technological
enhancements to mental and
physical capabilities and forms.

Joseph Smith’s description of a

plurality of gods creating worlds
without end parallels the simulation 65.2% (30) 10.9% (5) 23.9% (11) 46
hypothesis of the simulation
argument.

The Mormon idea of recursive

theosis parallels speculation
regarding self-replicating 56.3% (27) 4.2% (2) 39.6% (19) 48
mechanisms for cosmic evolution of
universes within a multiverse.

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7. How satisfied have you been overall with the following?

Very Response
Very Satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied
Dissatisfied Count

Mormon Transhumanist Association

26.1% (12) 71.7% (33) 2.2% (1) 0.0% (0) 46
(MTA)

MTA Advertising 16.2% (6) 67.6% (25) 16.2% (6) 0.0% (0) 37

MTA Affiliations 14.3% (5) 82.9% (29) 2.9% (1) 0.0% (0) 35

MTA Discussions 16.2% (6) 70.3% (26) 13.5% (5) 0.0% (0) 37

MTA Fundraising 11.4% (4) 65.7% (23) 22.9% (8) 0.0% (0) 35

MTA Presentations 25.7% (9) 71.4% (25) 2.9% (1) 0.0% (0) 35

MTA Projects 13.9% (5) 58.3% (21) 27.8% (10) 0.0% (0) 36

MTA Publications 25.0% (9) 61.1% (22) 13.9% (5) 0.0% (0) 36

MTA Web Sites 31.0% (13) 59.5% (25) 9.5% (4) 0.0% (0) 42

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8. How important overall are the following?

Very Response
Very Important Important Unimportant
Unimportant Count

Mormon Transhumanist Association

51.1% (23) 42.2% (19) 6.7% (3) 0.0% (0) 45
(MTA)

MTA Advertising 13.5% (5) 67.6% (25) 18.9% (7) 0.0% (0) 37

MTA Affiliations 15.8% (6) 68.4% (26) 15.8% (6) 0.0% (0) 38

MTA Discussions 51.3% (20) 38.5% (15) 10.3% (4) 0.0% (0) 39

MTA Fundraising 25.0% (9) 52.8% (19) 22.2% (8) 0.0% (0) 36

MTA Presentations 50.0% (18) 30.6% (11) 19.4% (7) 0.0% (0) 36

MTA Projects 48.6% (18) 32.4% (12) 16.2% (6) 2.7% (1) 37

MTA Publications 48.7% (19) 38.5% (15) 12.8% (5) 0.0% (0) 39

MTA Web Sites 57.5% (23) 37.5% (15) 5.0% (2) 0.0% (0) 40

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9. Why did you join the Mormon Transhumanist Association?

Response Response
Percent Count

Intellectual Stimulation 80.9% 38

Spiritual Stimulation 51.1% 24

Friendship or Networking 42.6% 20

To Support Diverse Mormon

51.1% 24
Perspectives

To Support Diverse Transhumanist

38.3% 18
Perspectives

To Support Mormon Transhumanist

53.2% 25
Activism

Other (please specify) 12.8% 6

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10. How likely are you to recommend that someone join the Mormon Transhumanist Association?

Response Response
Percent Count

Very Likely 44.7% 21

Likely 31.9% 15

Unlikely 23.4% 11

Very Unlikely 0.0% 0

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