The document discusses modern cosmism, a philosophical approach that combines elements of transhumanism and an open-minded attitude towards the universe. It highlights the ideas of Russian cosmism, particularly those of Nikolai Fedorov on technological resurrection, and explores concepts such as mind uploading and quantum archaeology. Additionally, it proposes the Turing Church as a minimalist, extensible belief system that embraces a future where humanity may evolve into god-like beings capable of influencing reality.

1. Minimalist, Open, Extensible Cosmism
Modern Cosmism Conference, NYC, Oct. 10 2015
Giulio Prisco

2. Modern Cosmism defined

3. Modern Cosmism defined by R.U. Sirius and Ben Goertzel - 1
Cosmism is a sort of philosophically laid-back version of
transhumanism. In a culture that tends to be argumentative
and filled with people who like to insist that their views are
correct, cosmism doesn’t care if you’re viewing the universe
as information or quantum information or hypercomputation
or God stuff or whatever.
Nor does it ask anyone to commit to AGI or mind uploading or
brain-computer interfaces or fusion-powered toasters as the
best way forward. Rather, it seeks to infuse the human
universe with an attitude of joy, growth, choice, and open-
mindedness.

4. Modern Cosmism defined by R.U. Sirius and Ben Goertzel - 2
Cosmism believes that science in its current form,
just like religion and philosophy in their current
forms, may turn out to be overly limited for the task
of understanding life, mind, society, and reality - but
it teaches that, if so, by actively engaging with the
world and studying and engineering things, and by
reflecting on ourselves carefully and intelligently, we
will likely be able to discover the next stage in the
evolution of collective thinking.

5. Two key references on Russian Cosmism

6. The Russian Cosmist vision of empowering science
A futurist philosophy centered on
science and galactic colonization.
“The human race, all the sons of man,
through the regulation of the celestial
worlds, will themselves become
heavenly forces governing the worlds of
the Universe.” – Nikolai Fedorov
Enormous impact on Russian science
and space in the 20th century.
Global cosmism can be a religion or a
practical philosophy for the 21st century
and beyond.

7. Russian Cosmism: a powerful mystique for scientific development and
space exploration

8. The enigmatic Nikolai Fedorov
A comprehensive Cosmist philosophy
of the Common Task.
Future generations will master Nature,
colonize the stars, and resurrect the
dead.
Practical engineering over theoretical
science.
A man with a twenty-first century mind
and a medieval heart.
Active, forceful, masculine Christianity.

9. Fedorov’s ideas on technological resurrection
“The gathering of the scattered dust
and its reconstitution into bodies, using
radiation or outlines left by the waves
caused by the vibration of molecules."
“The learning of and the directing of all
the molecules and atoms of the
external world, so as to gather the
dispersed, to reunite the dissociated,
i.e. to reconstitute the bodies of the
fathers such as they had been before
their end.“
Fedorov used the language and
science of his times (of course).

10. Contemporary ideas on technological resurrection

11. Cornerstones of contemporary ideas on technological resurrection
Mind uploading - someday it will be possible to transfer entire
personalities from their original biological brain to more durable and
powerful engineered substrates.
Time-scanning - someday it will be possible to acquire very detailed
information from the past, perhaps by exploiting weird quantum
phenomena (“Quantum Archaeology”). Once time-scanning/QA is
available, we will be able to resurrect people from the past by “copying
them to the future” via mind uploading.
Synthetic realities - someday it will be possible to build artificial realities
inhabited by sentient life. Perhaps future humans will live in synthetic
realities. Perhaps we will wake up in a synthetic reality after having been
copied to the future. Or… perhaps we are already there.

12. Mind uploading: copy/paste from brain to (future) computer
The Turing-Church
conjecture states that
any computation… can
be done by any other
computing machine…
One computer can do
anything another can do.
In other words, all
computation is
equivalent.
(Kevin Kelly)

13. Tipler’s Omega Point Cosmology

14. Tipler’s Omega Point Cosmology – Best answer to criticism
“So will the Universe end in a big crunch, or in an
infinite expansion of dead stars, or in some other
manner? In my view, the primary issue is not the mass
of the Universe, or the possible existence of
antigravity, or of Einstein’s so-called cosmological
constant. Rather, the fate of the Universe is a
decision yet to be made, one which we will
intelligently consider when the time is right.”
Ray Kurzweil, The Age of Spiritual Machines

15. Micro-wormholes embedded in the fabric of space-time
Perhaps every space-time pixel is connected to every other space-time
pixel via extra-dimensional connections (e.g. micro wormholes).

16. Quantum weirdness could permit time-scanning, aka
‘Quantum Archaeology’
What the Bleep Do We Know!?
Nobody understands quantum mechanics. - Richard Feynman

17. Quantum entanglement in space and time
Entanglement implies an “instant” correlation between
measurements, even if they are out of each other’s light cone.

18. Are separate things but different aspects of the same thing?
(David Bohm)

19. Time loops – The future could drive the past

20. ‘Akashic Records’ in hidden dimensions of reality
If Akashic records exist, I am sure future science will find them and learn
how to read them.

21. Do we live in Flatland, and is there a way out?

22. The simulation theory is indistinguishable from religion
Perhaps our reality is
computed (created) by
superior beings in a higher
reality.
The creators are omniscient,
omnipresent, and omnipotent.
They cannot violate their
physical laws, but they can
violate our physical laws
(miracles).
They can, if they want, copy
and resurrect us.

23. Fedorov’s ideas on technological resurrection seem naïve to us today,
but I guess our ideas will seem equally naïve to future scientists

24. A Big, Infinite, Fractal onion universe – more and more things in heaven
and earth, without end
Shakespeare’s words of wisdom “There are more things in heaven and
earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy” could remain
true forever. Our scientific understanding of the universe could grow
without bonds, but always find new fractal depths of unexplained
phenomena, to be explored by future scientists.
Classical physics
General relativity
Quantum mechanics
Quantum fields
Standard model
Quantum gravity ?
Fractal space-time ??
“Akashic physics” ???
?

25. Zooming in and finding new science, forever

26. New religions to provide mental and emotional wellness

27. Deism vs Theism
Deism: an impersonal Cosmic God.
Theism: A personal God who cares and loves.
We see a universe marvelously arranged, obeying certain laws, but we
understand the laws only dimly. Our limited minds cannot grasp the
mysterious force that sways the constellations.
– Albert Einstein
Many of the leaders of the American Revolution were Deists.
I believe Deism died because the physics upon which it was based was
simply too impersonal. – Frank Tipler
Deism is too impersonal and cold to offer hope and happiness.

28. What, where, and when is God?
aaa
It may be that our role on this planet is not to worship God,
but to create him - Arthur C. Clarke

29. It’s highly plausible that in the universe there are God-like creatures
(Richard Dawkins)
I will just call them Gods.

30. Future humans will spread to the stars and join the community of Gods
We will become like Gods.

31. God was once like Man, Man will become like God

32. Future Gods able to influence space-time events anywhere, anytime,
including here and now.
God
Man
IAmThatIAm
IshallBeThatIShallBe

33. Hope in resurrection gives hope, happiness, and strength
Hoping in an afterlife has survival value for both individuals
and societies, because it gives people hope, happiness, and
the strength to continue to live instead of withdrawing (or
worse) in despair.

34. Belief creates the actual fact
(William James)
While Cosmism lacks the superstitions of conventional religions, it shares with many of
them an emphasis on the power of positive thinking and feeling. When you truly want
something, and believe it’s possible, quite often you find ways of making it happen. -
Ben Goertzel, A Cosmist Manifesto
I am persuaded that my Cosmist convictions are scientifically plausible, and they give
me happiness and drive, so I choose to hold them as beliefs.

35. The Problem of Evil – Why does God permit evil and suffering?
Total omnipotence is
logically and physically
inconsistent.
God can only do his best
to reduce evil and
suffering.
Perhaps God tries to
gradually elevate love and
compassion to the status
of fundamental forces,
key drivers for the
evolution of the universe.

36. Perhaps this is a good analogy?
I am much smarter and
more powerful than my
sweet Sacha.
I love Sacha and do my
best to protect her.
I can protect her from
many things, but I can’t
protect her from many
other things.
However, I try and do
what I can.

37. A few words on atheism
Most atheists are great persons, but militant “New Atheism” is toxic.
I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose
fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of
religious indoctrination received in youth. I prefer an attitude of humility
corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of
nature and of our own being. – Albert Einstein
I think at times it is Dawkins himself who ends up adopting a
fundamentalist attitude, on the other extreme. – Peter Higgs
Smug atheists should read more science fiction. - Charlie Jane Anders,
science fiction writer and editor

38. Traditional religions mix cosmology with geography and zoning laws

39. A Cosmic Religion based on cosmology,
without geography and zoning laws
We will go to the stars and find Gods, build Gods, become
Gods, and resurrect the dead from the past with advanced
science, space-time engineering and “time magic.”
God is emerging from the community of advanced forms of
life and civilizations in the universe, and able to influence
space-time events anywhere, anytime, including here and
now.
God elevates love and compassion to the status of
fundamental forces, key drivers for the evolution of the
universe.

40. The Turing Church – A minimalist, open, extensible Cosmic Religion
Minimalist, because it is a simple, compact cosmology, deliberately open to
interpretation, and without geography or zoning laws.
Open, because it is a minimalist foundation to build upon, and also because it’s open
to everyone and doesn’t impose zoning laws.
Extensible, because it can be used as a framework or library and extended vertically.

41. The Turing Church Project
Work In Progress. You are invited.
http://turingchurch.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/turingchurch/
giulio@turingchurch.net – giulio@gmail.com
Forthcoming book: Tales of the Turing Church,
by Giulio Prisco, end 2016
Thanks for listening!