AI may be able to simulate thoughts, but it cannot touch the soul. The real challenge is not the advancement of technology, but whether we can still maintain the depth and warmth of human beings.
You use the light of philosophy to illuminate the most hidden anxiety of our time, and also light up the path to sobriety and self-reflection
Thanks Anthony for another great piece. In a world of soundbites and press releases it's great that you are blessing so many of us by taking the time to think and write deeply on what really matters.
In terms of the questions about the nature of existence I always liked how Joseph Ratzinger (as Pope Benedict XVI) kept articulating the 'givenness' or beneficent nature of existence itself:
“The world is not the product of darkness and unreason; it comes from intelligence, freedom, and love. To live wisely is to live in the light of this truth, to receive oneself from the Creator and to accept existence as a gift.”
— General Audience, December 3, 2008
“Human beings do not create themselves. They come from another and are the fruit of love. Only in relationship with the One who is the source of their being can they come to themselves.”
— Address to the Roman Curia, December 21, 2012
For me, this simply means that part of the human task is to understand the gravity and implications of this 'beneficent givenness' and to seek to become all that we can become for ourselves, others and God along the journey of life. Why? Because the rational response to a priceless gift is gratitude and to use that gift as the giver intended.
In terms of the Tolkien references I would suggest that the ring itself was ALWAYS intrinsically and manifestly evil. In the Silmarillion, Sauron, as the direct disciple of Morgoth creates the ring out of pure evil to only and always entrap and enslave. Also, I don't think it amplified (or revealed) the good or evil of its bearer, Both Gandalf and Galadriel, at the point of testing, clearly knew that whatever good they might seek to do, they would be overwhelmed by the rings essential nature.
So, in a Tokienesque sense it could be argued that AI is essentially evil and hellbent (pun intended) on our destruction.
This is an idea that Paul Kingsnorth explores brilliantly here:
His thesis is that 'something' is trying to instantiate itself into the physical world via AI. In short, a demonic presence that has never been able to take full physical form is seeking to use AI to make that leap.
The response from many would be that resisting AI is a Luddite response. It's worth noting that the Luddite cause was much bigger than breaking the odd cotton press. They were responding to much larger forces that were seeking to undo the very nature of the entire world they had known. They may have something to teach us.
What it means for me to be human right now in this moment after reading such a wonderful piece is to sit in the tension this creates between thinking of practical applications today and knowing wisdom is forming in the future from a lifetime of reading shared thoughts.
AI may be able to simulate thoughts, but it cannot touch the soul. The real challenge is not the advancement of technology, but whether we can still maintain the depth and warmth of human beings.
You use the light of philosophy to illuminate the most hidden anxiety of our time, and also light up the path to sobriety and self-reflection
Thanks Anthony for another great piece. In a world of soundbites and press releases it's great that you are blessing so many of us by taking the time to think and write deeply on what really matters.
In terms of the questions about the nature of existence I always liked how Joseph Ratzinger (as Pope Benedict XVI) kept articulating the 'givenness' or beneficent nature of existence itself:
“The world is not the product of darkness and unreason; it comes from intelligence, freedom, and love. To live wisely is to live in the light of this truth, to receive oneself from the Creator and to accept existence as a gift.”
— General Audience, December 3, 2008
“Human beings do not create themselves. They come from another and are the fruit of love. Only in relationship with the One who is the source of their being can they come to themselves.”
— Address to the Roman Curia, December 21, 2012
For me, this simply means that part of the human task is to understand the gravity and implications of this 'beneficent givenness' and to seek to become all that we can become for ourselves, others and God along the journey of life. Why? Because the rational response to a priceless gift is gratitude and to use that gift as the giver intended.
In terms of the Tolkien references I would suggest that the ring itself was ALWAYS intrinsically and manifestly evil. In the Silmarillion, Sauron, as the direct disciple of Morgoth creates the ring out of pure evil to only and always entrap and enslave. Also, I don't think it amplified (or revealed) the good or evil of its bearer, Both Gandalf and Galadriel, at the point of testing, clearly knew that whatever good they might seek to do, they would be overwhelmed by the rings essential nature.
So, in a Tokienesque sense it could be argued that AI is essentially evil and hellbent (pun intended) on our destruction.
This is an idea that Paul Kingsnorth explores brilliantly here:
https://paulkingsnorth.substack.com/p/the-universal?
His thesis is that 'something' is trying to instantiate itself into the physical world via AI. In short, a demonic presence that has never been able to take full physical form is seeking to use AI to make that leap.
The response from many would be that resisting AI is a Luddite response. It's worth noting that the Luddite cause was much bigger than breaking the odd cotton press. They were responding to much larger forces that were seeking to undo the very nature of the entire world they had known. They may have something to teach us.
What it means for me to be human right now in this moment after reading such a wonderful piece is to sit in the tension this creates between thinking of practical applications today and knowing wisdom is forming in the future from a lifetime of reading shared thoughts.
thank you Ben
These references address the issues that you wrote about.
http://beezone.com/adida/narcissus.html
Mind as Artificial Intelligence and a Golem
http://beezone.com/adida/mind-is-artificial-intelligence.html
http://beezone.com/current/mind_as_separate_self.html
http://www.dabase.org/hardware.htm Hardware Software & Transcendence (the Transmission of Doubt)
The Seven Stages of Life truly human life begins when one is firmly established in the Fourth Stage of Life
http://www.integralworld.net/reynolds6.html
The World As Light - All of This Is Beautiful
http://beezone.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The-World-As-Light-introduction-to-the-Art-of-Adi-Da-Samraj.pdf