Michael LaTorra – Zen Buddhist priest and Transhumanist Scholar passes
Sorry to hear of the passing of Michael LaTorra. A great human being who was generous with his energy and time.
Michael LaTorra (often known as Mike LaTorra) was a retired American college professor, ordained Zen Buddhist priest, and prominent transhumanist scholar. He was a pioneer of Buddhist transhumanism, a movement exploring how modern science and technology can align with ancient spiritual practices. He co-authored works and participated in panels illustrating that both Buddhism and transhumanism share the foundational goals of reducing suffering and increasing happiness.
Articles he wrote include What Is Buddhist Transhumanism?, A Zen Priest explains how spirituality will evolve in the future, and he is the author of A Warrior Blends with Life: A Modern Tao (1993), which provides a modern commentary and translation of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching infused with insights from contemporary culture and physics.
LaTorra was a prominent voice in bridging the gap between technological advancement and spiritual discipline. He argued that both Buddhism and Transhumanism share a core objective: the reduction of suffering.
While traditional Buddhism focuses on inner transformation and mental discipline, and Transhumanism advocates for changing the physical world through science, LaTorra championed a synthesized path. He believed that emerging bio-, neuro-, and nanotechnologies could be used to enhance human lifespan, healthspan, and brain capacity (which we speak about in interview below), ultimately providing a baseline of abundance that frees humans to deepen their spiritual practice.
As LaTorra famously summarized, “Buddhist transhumanists would use a combination of both, providing shoes for everyone while at the same time making large swaths of the earth into benign and comfortable regions where people could safely go barefoot.”
Michael LaTorra served on the Board of Directors for the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET). He was deeply involved as a leading thinker, writer, and council member, helping shape the organisation’s philosophical framework. He actively participated in IEET projects examining how emerging technologies intersect with spirituality. As part of the Council, he wrote academic works for IEET’s initiatives, contributing to the idea that “Buddhism and transhumanism share two main goals: to reduce suffering and to increase and stabilize happiness.” 1
Here are some interviews I did with Michael:
