In her critically acclaimed and intriguing work, God, Human, Animal, Machine (Doubleday 2021), Meghan O’Gieblyn masterfully reflects on the provocative question of what it means to be human in an age of artificial intelligence. In a history of reflection on the possibility that, in fact, humans might not be all that different from animals—something all too common to modern and contemporary reflections, O’Gieblyn enters the fray.

Unfortunately, she has given up on the age-old religious idea that humans are somehow “uniquely” related to God — even images of God as reflected in the great monotheistic religions. In fact, she entertains the live possibility for many that maybe we are not all that different from animals. Rather than seeking to resolve tensions with the older view that humans are uniquely ensouled beings in the natural world, she wrestles with the prospect that, given naturalism, our world does appear to be rather disenchanted — even though science provides possible avenues for re-enchantment.

These ideas are certainly at the forefront of contemporary social consciousness, as questions emerge about our relationship to technology — similar to the ones the moderns were raising with respect to animals that show intelligence. These questions press us for answers.

Artificial intelligence as a new religion

O’Gieblyn certainly isn’t the most radical of thinkers regarding the possibilities of artificial intelligence. Within this broader discussion, there are others operating under the auspices of a new religion that seeks to foster the belief that, in fact, we really are not all that different from highly specified intelligent machines, along with our evolved kin in the animal world.

Some propose an even more radical view, a form of transhumanism — the view that evolution is occurring and will continue to occur through technology as we evolved humans become a new, higher-order species. Central to these debates are ideas about what it means to be human, the nature of ultimate reality, and the prospects of a new world governed by advanced machines.

In fact, when you read some transhumanists, a new religion is precisely what they have in mind, with a new set of prophets (operating under their radicalized utopian science) and with ongoing possibilities regarding higher-level consciousness. Further, they aim at reconceiving all fundamental notions of humanity from the family, to ethics, to nations, and promises of a better future this world has not yet dreamed of.

O’Gieblyn picks up on this common thread: Is the world really enchanted or is it disenchanted? That’s an important question really and one that we really can’t ignore. It touches on more fundamental questions about the nature of consciousness along with the basic worldview questions: meaning, purpose, morality, and life after life.

In this way, Mind Matters News has been a vital force for good by addressing these fundamental questions of reality at the intersection of intelligence and the nature of consciousness in relation to reality. As superficial versions of naturalism in the form of various physicalisms are beginning to fade in the minds of many, there are fresh opportunities to think and re-think the fundamental questions of what it means to be human and what it means to live in our world. Central to understanding our world is actually getting a clear vision that we, humans, are, in fact, unique because consciousness itself is unique — and, more, intelligence just is different from artificial intelligence no matter how complicated it might become.

The tide is now turning

And, while these questions continue to occupy our imaginations, additional questions also deserve careful exploration and analysis — namely, the questions that intersect with intelligence, consciousness and the fundamental meaning of the universe. Arguably, the tide is turning and many now realize that consciousness is a stubborn reality that naturalists can’t explain away and must struggle to deal with. Thus we are faced with addressing interfacing questions of consciousness—namely whether or not there exists gods or God, as the old traditional religions taught.

Even more, there is a growing set of literature representing a fresh set of questions that intersect with religion and science that furnish opportunities to speak with clarity about the origination of consciousness, the meaning of consciousness, and the purposes of consciousness. Certainly with the rise of interest in beginning-of-life studies, end-of-life studies (from dementia patients), the paranormal, and the unavoidable mysteries of life after life in light of near-death experiences, we need new answers. At least we need fresh answers where religion has something to say. This is where a new set of podcasts comes into the discussion, namely the Created Souls and The Banquet of Souls podcasts (July 15).

Where Created Souls and The Banquet of Souls overlap with the objectives of Mind Matters News is quite crucial to the discussion — reality is fundamentally consciousness at some level and unavoidably so. And despite what secularists might have you believe, this has massive implications for all aspects of life.

That said, recognizing the fact of consciousness as central to an explanation of the world doesn’t conclude the discussion because there is a diversity of views that are readily compatible with a consciousness-centric view of reality. And more, there are divergent perspectives for which the purpose of consciousness is a live discussion. What is slowly ceasing to be a live discussion is whether consciousness is ultimately physical in nature, explained by physics and chemistry and adequately analyzed through the “scientific method” — despite what Scientific American might tell you. This doesn’t render science (or the scientific method) irrelevant, but it does demand a richer discussion at the intersection of religion and science.