Being Human in the Age of AI

Sunday, July 20, 2025

Premiered Jul 17, 2025

What does it mean to be truly human in an age of artificial intelligence, declining religious belief, and rising spiritual hunger?

Oxford mathematician and Christian apologist Professor John Lennox and cognitive scientist Dr John Vervaeke of the University of Toronto, explore whether AI threatens or reveals our uniqueness, if meaning can exist without God, and whether spiritual transformation is possible in a post-religious age.

Posted by Corky at 03:15 PM | 5 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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They discuss:

The Logos: Emergent or Eternal? Can AI ever be conscious? Why apocalyptic fears echo ancient longings? Whether non-theistic spirituality can truly transform us? And whether AI heralds the End Times?

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"Dr. John Vervaeke is an award-winning professor of psychology, cognitive science, and Buddhist psychology at the University of Toronto. He is also the director of the cognitive science program at the university.

Vervaeke is known for his work on the "meaning crisis," his YouTube series "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis," and his integration of science and spirituality. He also explores topics like relevance realization, general intelligence, mindfulness, and wisdom."

www.google.com

This isn't a Debate, it's an intelligent conversation; Vervaeke is as impressive as ia Lennox, and they also explore something related I saw an article about the other day, a phenomena known as, "The Gen Z Stare", though not by that name.

www.npr.org

(the AI stuff is more at the beginning, around 35 mins in it gets more to science and spirituality)

#1 | Posted by Corky at 2025-07-20 03:26 PM | Reply

Can AI ever be conscious?

I think one of the more interesting developments is AI can hallucinate.

Why isn't that conscious? People hallucinate. Aren't people conscious?

Another thing that seems to be happening.

People are saying, is AI conscious.
But I think what people really are trying to ask, is AI capable of rational thought.
But people aren't rational.

#2 | Posted by snoofy at 2025-07-20 08:27 PM | Reply

They both seemed to agree that AI couldn't achieve consciousness, but that we don't know what consciousness actually is, so.

Right now AI is mimicking rationality.

www.google.com

#3 | Posted by Corky at 2025-07-20 08:56 PM | Reply

I'll listen to the "experts" on consciousness when they acknowledge pets and livestock have it.

As it stands, this sounds too much like the religious voodoo that only humans have souls. Not really any different from only humans have consciousness. And similarly undefinable terms, both soul and consciousness. I mean really, aren't they the same thing from a religious point of view? Same bigoted energy.

#4 | Posted by snoofy at 2025-07-20 09:31 PM | Reply

#2 | Posted by snoofy

Here's a pointer for the future, just because you call it something that already exists, doesn't mean its the same thing.

But I think what people really are trying to ask, is AI capable of rational thought.
But people aren't rational.

You have no idea how man makes decisions do you?

AI has no agency, no internal motivation.

if meaning can exist without God, and whether spiritual transformation is possible in a post-religious age.

All irrelevant, AI has no meaning, it doesn't exist without humans.

Always knew CorkyDaBigot was faux religious.

#5 | Posted by oneironaut at 2025-07-20 11:25 PM | Reply