Mormon Transhumanist Association Member Survey Results 2008

Mormon Transhumanist Association Member Survey 2008 1. Please confirm your name, location and email address. Response Percent

Response Count

Name:

100.0%

51

City/Town:

100.0%

51

State:

92.2%

47

Country:

100.0%

51

Email Address:

100.0%

51

answered question

51

skipped question

0

2. Are you comfortable identifying yourself as the following?

Always

Almost Always

Sometimes

Almost Never

Never

Response 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

answered question

49

skipped question

2

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

Response Count

Agnostic

14.0%

7

Atheist

4.0%

2

Theist (Any Form)

76.0%

38

No Opinion

6.0%

3

answered question

50

skipped question

1

Response Percent

Response Count

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS)

82.0%

41

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

answered question

50

skipped question

1

4. Which of these best describes your religious affiliation?

Page 2

5. Which of these best describes your political perspective? Response Percent

Response 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

answered question

48

skipped question

3

6. Do you agree with the following statements? Response Count

Yes

No

Undecided

95.8% (46)

0.0% (0)

4.2% (2)

48

2.1% (1)

89.4% (42)

8.5% (4)

47

By being generally open and embracing of new technology we have a better chance of turning it to our advantage than if we try to ban or prohibit it.

97.8% (45)

0.0% (0)

2.2% (1)

46

I expect human progress to result from human accomplishment in addition to (or rather than) divine intervention, grace, or redemption.

87.2% (41)

4.3% (2)

8.5% (4)

47

It would be a good thing if people could become many times more intelligent than they currently are.

91.3% (42)

0.0% (0)

8.7% (4)

46

People have a right to use technology to extend their mental and physical (including reproductive) capacities and to improve their control over their own lives. Human genetic engineering is wrong because it is "playing God".

It would be a good thing if people Page 3

could live (in good health) for hundreds of years or longer.

70.2% (33)

8.5% (4)

21.3% (10)

47

Women should have the right to terminate their pregnancies.

63.0% (29)

13.0% (6)

23.9% (11)

46

My ethical code advocates the wellbeing of all sentient beings, whether in artificial intellects, humans, neohumans, or non-human animals.

78.3% (36)

8.7% (4)

13.0% (6)

46

I would consider having my mind uploaded to computers if it was the only way I could continue as a conscious person.

60.9% (28)

17.4% (8)

21.7% (10)

46

Parents should be able to have children through cloning once the technology is safe.

56.5% (26)

13.0% (6)

30.4% (14)

46

Human nanotechnology and genetic engineering will always be dangerous and should be banned.

0.0% (0)

93.5% (43)

6.5% (3)

46

There are clear divinely-set limits on what humans should do.

21.7% (10)

58.7% (27)

19.6% (9)

46

My concept of "the meaning of life" is derived from human responsibility and opportunity in addition to (or rather than) divine revelation.

78.3% (36)

4.3% (2)

17.4% (8)

46

A chimpanzee modified to think and communicate like a human being should be granted human rights.

73.9% (34)

10.9% (5)

15.2% (7)

46

People should be allowed to experiment with recreational drugs so long as they don't harm others.

54.3% (25)

21.7% (10)

23.9% (11)

46

Robots who think and feel like human beings, and aren't a threat to human beings, should be granted human rights.

60.9% (28)

17.4% (8)

21.7% (10)

46

I would consider being frozen and re-animated later if it was the only way I could continue living.

48.9% (23)

34.0% (16)

17.0% (8)

47

The goal of ethics and morals should be the happiness and well being of all people.

91.3% (42)

6.5% (3)

2.2% (1)

46

Parents should be able to choose Page 4

the sex, intelligence and other characteristics of their children.

36.2% (17)

17.0% (8)

46.8% (22)

47

Although we may devise better political systems in the future, multiparty democracies with civil liberties for individuals are the best of the existing political orders.

76.6% (36)

6.4% (3)

17.0% (8)

47

Humans and neohumans will be able to coexist in one society and polity.

55.3% (26)

2.1% (1)

42.6% (20)

47

Emerging technologies will cause an abrupt, cataclysmic, worldwide social change by 2040.

28.3% (13)

23.9% (11)

47.8% (22)

46

Joseph Smith’s description of material spirit parallels the idea of substrate independence, which is an assumption on which the feasibility of mind uploading and computed worlds depends.

43.5% (20)

10.9% (5)

45.7% (21)

46

The Mormon idea of God organizing worlds after emerging within chaos parallels technological evolution superseding biological evolution.

65.2% (30)

6.5% (3)

28.3% (13)

46

Mormon scriptural accounts of inspiration and salvation enabled through tools and work parallel engineering approaches to solving problems.

71.7% (33)

4.3% (2)

23.9% (11)

46

Prophecies about the dispensation of the fullness of times parallel our present observation of exponentially accelerating scientific and technological advance.

75.6% (34)

8.9% (4)

15.6% (7)

45

Scriptural examples of evaded negative prophecies and conditional positive prophecies parallel possibilities of probabilistic social engineering enabled by information technology.

47.8% (22)

17.4% (8)

34.8% (16)

46

Apocalyptic, messianic and millenarian expectations parallel opportunities and risks attributed to artificial general intelligence and the technological singularity.

50.0% (23)

19.6% (9)

30.4% (14)

46

Millenarian prophecies of prolonged Page 5

life spans and worldwide prosperity parallel predictions of engineered radical life extension and superabundance associated with molecular assemblers.

63.0% (29)

6.5% (3)

30.4% (14)

46

74.5% (35)

6.4% (3)

19.1% (9)

47

65.2% (30)

10.9% (5)

23.9% (11)

46

56.3% (27)

4.2% (2)

39.6% (19)

48

Prophecies of eternal spiritual and physical progression through ordinances of transfiguration and resurrection to innumerable and differing glories parallel 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 hypothesis of the simulation argument. The Mormon idea of recursive theosis parallels speculation regarding self-replicating mechanisms for cosmic evolution of universes within a multiverse. answered question

49

skipped question

2

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

Very Satisfied

Satisfied

Dissatisfied

Very Dissatisfied

26.1% (12)

71.7% (33)

2.2% (1)

0.0% (0)

46

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

31.0% (13)

59.5% (25)

9.5% (4)

0.0% (0)

42

Mormon Transhumanist Association (MTA)

MTA Web Sites

Response Count

answered question

46

skipped question

5

Page 7

8. How important overall are the following?

Very Important

Important

Unimportant

Very Unimportant

Response Count

Mormon Transhumanist Association (MTA)

51.1% (23)

42.2% (19)

6.7% (3)

0.0% (0)

45

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

answered question

45

skipped question

6

Response Percent

Response Count

Intellectual Stimulation

80.9%

38

Spiritual Stimulation

51.1%

24

Friendship or Networking

42.6%

20

To Support Diverse Mormon Perspectives

51.1%

24

To Support Diverse Transhumanist Perspectives

38.3%

18

To Support Mormon Transhumanist Activism

53.2%

25

Other (please specify)

12.8%

6

answered question

47

skipped question

4

9. Why did you join the Mormon Transhumanist Association?

Page 8

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

Response Count

Very Likely

44.7%

21

Likely

31.9%

15

Unlikely

23.4%

11

Very Unlikely

0.0%

0

answered question

47

skipped question

4

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