Authors

Thomas Briggs was an early Latter-day Saint pioneer who documented his experiences and beliefs about the resurrection and eternal progression in his autobiography, The History of Thomas Briggs. His writings reflect the optimism and faith of early converts to the Restored Gospel, expressing confidence in the literal nature of resurrection and the possibility of continued progression in the eternities. Like many early Latter-day Saints, Briggs saw the Restoration as opening possibilities for human advancement and transformation that exceeded the bounds of traditional Christianity.

Wilford Woodruff (1807–1898) served as the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1889 until his death. Born in Connecticut, he worked as a miller before joining the Church in 1833. He was ordained an apostle in 1839 and served a remarkably successful mission in England, leading many converts to Nauvoo. Woodruff’s journals constitute one of the most valuable records in Latter-day Saint history, documenting decades of Church development. In 1890, after receiving revelation, he issued the Manifesto that ended the practice of plural marriage, helping to resolve the conflict with the U.S. government that had plagued the Church for decades. His presidency saw the 1893 dedication of the Salt Lake Temple and Utah’s 1896 admission to statehood. He founded the Genealogical Society of Utah and directed the first mission calls to single women, opening a new era of sister missionary service. He died in San Francisco on September 2, 1898.

William Ford Gibson, born March 17, 1948, in Conway, South Carolina, is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer widely credited with pioneering the cyberpunk genre. After dropping out of high school and traveling to Canada, he earned a B.A. from the University of British Columbia in 1977. Gibson coined the term “cyberspace” in his 1982 short story “Burning Chrome” and popularized the concept in his groundbreaking debut novel Neuromancer (1984), which remains the only novel to win the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards. His visionary works anticipated the Internet, virtual reality, and the pervasive digital culture that defines modern life. Gibson’s Sprawl trilogy—Neuromancer, Count Zero (1986), and Mona Lisa Overdrive (1988)—merged technology, multinational corporate capitalism, and vast urban landscapes in ways that revolutionized science fiction. His influence extends far beyond literature, inspiring films like The Matrix and shaping how we understand the relationship between humanity and technology. Gibson continues to write and lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, exploring themes of technological change and human adaptation that resonate deeply with transhumanist thought.

William James (1842–1910) was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. He was a leading thinker in pragmatism and the philosophy of religion. Born in New York City to a prominent intellectual family (his brother was novelist Henry James), William James earned his MD from Harvard and taught there for most of his career. His works The Principles of Psychology and The Varieties of Religious Experience remain influential. James taught that moral philosophy requires a willingness to act on beliefs before they can be verified, and that religious experience should be evaluated by its fruits in human life. His pragmatic approach to truth and his serious engagement with religious experience have influenced both philosophy and the study of religion.

Woody Allen (born 1935) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Born Allan Stewart Konigsberg in Brooklyn, New York, he began his career as a comedy writer for television before transitioning to stand-up comedy and filmmaking. Allen’s films frequently explore themes of mortality, meaning, relationships, and the human condition, often with dark humor and philosophical undertones. His work has been influenced by existentialist philosophy, psychoanalysis, and the writings of authors like Dostoevsky and Kafka. Despite controversies in his personal life, Allen’s artistic output has earned numerous Academy Awards and international recognition. His reflections on death, immortality, and the search for meaning resonate with transhumanist concerns about human finitude and the desire for transcendence.

William Wine Phelps (1792–1872) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement, a printer, editor, and prolific hymn writer. He served as a scribe for Joseph Smith and contributed numerous hymns to the LDS hymnal, including ‘The Spirit of God’ and ‘If You Could Hie to Kolob.’ Despite being excommunicated and later rebaptized, Phelps remained a significant figure in early Mormon history and journalism.