Author: Peter Biles | Page 10

The mechanisms. Atlantic code 7 verso a. By Leonardo Da Vinci in the vintage book Leonardo da Vinci by A.L. Volynskiy, St. Petersburg, 1899

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post

Peter Biles
Date
November 7, 2023

Categorized
Human exceptionalism}

Jacques Maritain on the Human Person

_{A philosopher on two competing views of human beings: are we mere bodies or embodied souls?} _{Peter Biles
November 7, 2023

4

Human exceptionalism}

At the end of the day, a lot of the AI enthusiasm among the technological “futurists” like Ray Kurzweil is based on certain assumptions of what a human being fundamentally is. Casey Luskin reported on Kurzweil’s lecture at the recent COSM 2023 conference, noting how he is convinced that AI is humanity’s destiny, and will serve as our functional “God figure,” all-knowing, self-determining, sentient. Kurzweil sees the human person in purely scientific terms: if we can achieve a certain level of technological advancement, we will transcend our limits and take the next step of human evolution. Technology will be our religion, the means to our immortality. Jacques Maritain, a French philosopher, shared helpful thoughts about the human person in his Read More ›

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post

Peter Biles
Date
November 1, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Distraction, fiction, Focus, internet, Literature, Psychology Today, social media}

Reading in the Digital Age

_{Writer Joseph Epstein argues compellingly on behalf of the novel.} _{Peter Biles
November 1, 2023

5

Arts & Culture}

Reading isn't instantly gratifying the way these dopamine-inducing technologies are, but the rewards are worth it. Read More ›

young unhappy woman suffering from depression, and stress

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post

Peter Biles
Date
October 24, 2023

Categorized
Addiction, Social Media

Tagged
addiction, Instagram, Jean Twenge, Jonathan Haidt, mental health, Technology}

Is This a Moral Reckoning? 41 States Sue Meta for Knowingly Addicting Young Users

_{The lawsuit claims that Meta's platforms are harming its young users. The data backs it up.} _{Peter Biles
October 24, 2023

3

Addiction, Social Media}

The lawsuit coincides with a new article from Jean Twenge, known for researching "Gen-Z" and their painful relationship with addictive digital media. Read More ›

a person takes pictures with her phone, photographs healthy food

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post

Peter Biles
Date
October 22, 2023

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
Instagram, mental health, social media}

Homogeneity via Instagram and the Internet

_{Spending too much time online shapes our personality and outlook perhaps more than we'd like to admit.} _{Peter Biles
October 22, 2023

3

Social Media}

Unplugging from the matrix may bring us back to a sense of individual identity and purpose. Read More ›

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post

Peter Biles
Date
October 21, 2023

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
Cell phone, Instagram, social media, Tech, Technology}

Trying to Solve Social Media’s Problems Through…More Social Media

_{Alternative social media apps still have to figure out ways to keep you scrolling.} _{Peter Biles
October 21, 2023

3

Social Media}

Last month a friend invited me to download a new photography app called “Lapse.” Perhaps you’ve already heard of it and downloaded it yourself. I decided to try it and see what all the fuss was about. The app’s opening screen was dramatic, with captions about the failures of previous social media apps to truly “capture” the present moment. The business model of social media apps, the Lapsers rightly contend, revolves around “likes” and gaining “friends.” What happened to taking pictures of real, human moments without minding the social reward they might reap? Photo-taking was about holding on to moments that mattered. It wasn’t about filters, validation, or identity. Lapse promises to be different. It’s a disposable camera on your Read More ›

Hands of a male photographer holding a digital camera taking pictures of a idyllic landscape with a lake and mountains while the picture shows at the display

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post

Peter Biles
Date
October 16, 2023

Tagged
Arts and Culture, Family, First Things, Gen Z, Jonathan Haidt, mental health, social media, Technology, Toddlers}

Two Notable Reads: Children and Tech and the Illusions of Photography

_{How much should kids be online? And is taking pictures taking us out of real life?} _{Peter Biles
October 16, 2023

4}

Teenagers' mental health has been on the decline over the last decade, particularly among teen girls. Idealized images can be fodder for the social comparison game. Read More ›

Modern glass elevator and escalator in a shopping mall. Empty mall.

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post

Peter Biles
Date
October 14, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Arts and Culture, Books, C.S. Lewis, Consciousness, Euthanasia, immortality, meaning, novels, Technology, That Hideous Strength (book), transhumanism}

Zero K: A Novel About Escaping the World Through Technology

_{Zero K by novelist Don DeLillo is a frightening but prophetic tale of transhumanism and the temptation to evade suffering at all costs.} _{Peter Biles
October 14, 2023

4

Arts & Culture}

The book is prophetic, merging two pertinent issues into one speculative tale: euthanasia and transhumanism. Read More ›

Group of students using laptops and other devices in classroom.

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post

Peter Biles
Date
October 8, 2023

Categorized
Education

Tagged
Artificial Intelligence, College, education, Learning, Technology, the office}

The Kids Aren’t Taking Notes

_{Colleges have become too dependent on digital methods of learning and communication.} _{Peter Biles
October 8, 2023

3

Education}

Visit a typical classroom in the United States and you’re bound to see just about every student “taking notes” behind a computer screen as the professor lectures at the helm. Read More ›

Walking to new better world. Hope and bright future

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post

Peter Biles
Date
October 8, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
AI, Angus Menuge, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Consciousness, Minding the Brain, Robert J. Marks}

So AI is “Slightly Conscious” Now?

_{The AI optimists can't get away from the problem of consciousness.} _{Peter Biles
October 8, 2023

4

Philosophy of Mind}

The idea that artificial intelligence could ever become actually “intelligent” is a minority view, but it’s espoused by some brilliant minds, including Jason Lemoine, an ex-Google employee who claimed the company’s developing AI system was sentient. Lemoine isn’t alone. According to Futurism, OpenAI’s top researcher, Ilya Sutskever, claimed in a Tweet this week that “large neural networks are slightly conscious.” Noor Al-Sibai writes, He’s long been preoccupied with artificial general intelligence, or AGI, which would refer to AI that operates at a human or superhuman level. During his appearance in the AI documentary “iHuman,” for instance, he even declared that that AGIs will “solve all the problems that we have today” before warning that they will also present “the potential to create Read More ›

The Captivating Robotic Woman of Innovation

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post

Peter Biles
Date
October 7, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AGI, AI, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Vox}

New Poll Says Most People Don’t Want “Super AI”

_{Not all problems can be solved through tech} _{Peter Biles
October 7, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

Despite tech companies’ search to create an artificial “super-intelligence,” a recent poll suggests ordinary citizens want no such thing to be set loose into the world. Sigal Samuel, writing for Vox, talks about technological “solutionism, ” the idea that all the world’s problems, moral or otherwise, can be solved through mere technological progress. This ideology, he notes, extends to the current craze and hype surrounding AI. Sigal writes, AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) enthusiasts promise that the coming superintelligence will bring radical improvements. It could develop everything from cures for diseases to better clean energy technologies. It could turbocharge productivity, leading to windfall profits that may alleviate global poverty. And getting to it first could help the US maintain an edge over China; Read More ›

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post

Peter Biles
Date
October 3, 2023}

Getting Beyond “Technique” When it Comes to Mental Health

_{A new book by Dr. Alan Noble on the value of choice, responsibility, and the inherent goodness of life.} _{Peter Biles
October 3, 2023

3}

Jacques Ellul used the word “technique” to describe the mechanism befalling our modern society. When there’s a problem, we want the solution. When something isn’t fast enough, add the gears, the software updates, the weight loss pills, the trip to McDonald’s, etc. But suppose that mentality has seeped into the discourse surrounding mental health? Is there a quick-fix solution to debilitating depression and anxiety? Is there a pill for just that general sense of sadness and emptiness? Alan Noble is an Associate Professor at Oklahoma Baptist University and the author of a new book called On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden & Gift of Living. In it, Dr. Noble recognizes how a technique mindset is insufficient in addressing the Read More ›

Young Asian man sitting on stairs outside reading a book

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post

Peter Biles
Date
October 2, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
addiction, Books, Digital Addiction, fiction, mental health, Psychology Today, Reading, Story}

Why You Should Read More Fiction

_{The mental benefits for reading good stories are many.} _{Peter Biles
October 2, 2023

3

Arts & Culture}

When looking for “solutions” to today’s mental health crisis in the United States, particularly among the millions of men who are checking out of society, reading fiction may not immediately come to mind. However, a new article from Psychology Today argues that reading fiction is “essential” for today’s men. The author of the article, psychologist Jett Stone, focuses on men in part because today’s literary market is largely geared towards women, and fiction and femininity are often closely associated. Nonetheless, he believes that reading fiction can benefit both women and men. He writes, Recent research indicates that reading fiction fosters critical thinking by presenting ideas subtly and in more roundabout ways than nonfiction. One study of adolescents found that frequent fiction readers possessed more Read More ›

Stained glass collage of stores from the Bible

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post

Peter Biles
Date
September 17, 2023

Categorized
Transhumanism

Tagged
AI, Catholicism, Christianity, First Things, science, transhumanism, Vox, Wesley J. Smith}

AI as Refashioned Religion

_{How AI fits into the transhumanist utopian dream, and where that dream might have come from} _{Peter Biles
September 17, 2023

3

Transhumanism}

AI's greatest threat may not be its sophistication, but our own over-reliance on it. As a technology, it has its uses and benefits. As a religion, it fails. Read More ›

Silhouettes of people observing stars in night sky. Astronomy concept.

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post

Peter Biles
Date
September 16, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Artificial Intelligence (AI), C.S. Lewis, Computers, Eric Hedin, god, religion, transcendence}

Another Non-Computable Trait: Spiritual Longing

_{You can't program spiritual longing into a computer, not matter how savvy the algorithm.} _{Peter Biles
September 16, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind}

Why do we feel the drive to make some overarching sense of our lives? You can't program spiritual longing into a computer, not matter how savvy the algorithm. Read More ›

the young guy playing an acoustic guitar. Shooting backlit

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post

Peter Biles
Date
September 8, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
AI, art, Culture, Jordan Peterson, music, Politics, Robots, YouTube}

Oliver Anthony, Music, and Human Exceptionalism

_{Honest music speaks to the heart and brings us closer together.} _{Peter Biles
September 8, 2023

2

Arts & Culture}

If you’ve been online at all for the last few weeks, chances are you’ve come across headlines about the folk/country singer Oliver Anthony, whose song “Rich Men North of Richmond” went viral in August. The song, a broad critique of elite power in Washington D.C., (Democrat and Republican) has gained both applause and fierce critique, but for the most part, seems to have deeply resonated with the general American public. Psychologist Jordan B. Peterson recently had Anthony on his podcast, discussing music, entrepreneurship, and virality. One thing is clear about Anthony’s songs: they’re honest, and people are attracted to that. Peterson noted in their conversation that authenticity is a sign of brilliance in artists, and how that sort of honesty Read More ›

Young anxious woman lying in bed staring at smartphone screen at night, reading about depression symptoms in internet, phone addicted female can not stop scrolling news media before bedtime. Anxiety.

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post

Peter Biles
Date
September 4, 2023

Categorized
Addiction

Tagged
addiction, Cal Newport, dopamine, Focus, social media, Work, YouTube}

Cal Newport: Overstimulation Is Ruining Your Life

_{Turns out the solution is simple: don't use things that overstimulate you.} _{Peter Biles
September 4, 2023

2

Addiction}

"Don't use things that cause overstimulation," Newport says. "The dopamine system is powerful, so don't give it the targets it's going to fire up for." Read More ›

Tourists at Prague Old Town Square, large group of people gathered at the street looking up towards the camera.

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post

Peter Biles
Date
September 2, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Amazon, Andy Crouch, Down Syndrome, Google, Meta, Netflix, The Lord of the Rings, The Social Dilemma, Wesley J. Smith}

The Life We’re Looking For: A Book Review

_{Andy Crouch's book on technology and human flourishing calls us to resist the urge to control and open ourselves up to deep relationships} _{Peter Biles
September 2, 2023

5

Arts & Culture}

Every so often a book comes along that puts a finger on the cultural moment in a way that directs, elucidates, convicts, and encourages. Read More ›

Businessman touching on smart mobile phone for input wording and searching from web browser. Technology with copy space concept.

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post

Peter Biles
Date
September 1, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
Africa, ChatGPT, Futurism, Google, Large Language Models (LLMs), Maggie Harrison, misinformation}

Google + AI Feature = Chaos

_{Google SGE is producing nonsensical word salads. Is this really supposed to replace traditional search engines?} _{Peter Biles
September 1, 2023

3

Artificial Intelligence}

“Even with access to all the information in the digital world, AI can still be very, very stupid,” writes Maggie Harrison at Futurism. She’s referencing Google’s AI search feature, Google SGE, that “doesn’t understand geography” or the alphabet. When Harrison and her peers noticed someone complain about a glitch in the AI search feature, which purported that there were no countries in Africa that started with the letter “K” (ahem, Kenya, anyone?) they decided to test it out for themselves. Sure enough, the verdict is in. Google’s AI doesn’t know how to parse out blatantly false information. Harrison writes, When asked to provide a list of “countries in North America that start with the letter M,” for instance, Google SGE Read More ›

Real robot's hand with ancient Bible. Concepts of artificial intelligence development and machine learning

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post

Peter Biles
Date
August 30, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Religion

Tagged
AI, BibleGPT, ChatGPT, Christianity, Church, Large Language Models (LLMs), religion}

“Bible GPT” For All Your Big Religious Questions

_{Is it a tool or a big crossing of the line?} _{Peter Biles
August 30, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence, Religion}

For big questions about God, meaning, and religion, AI might not be the best listener or pastor. Read More ›

Trees, garden and plants people in portrait community service, sustainability collaboration and eco friendly project. Gardening, sustainable growth and happy worker in teamwork, forest or nature park

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post

Peter Biles
Date
August 28, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
Colligo, COSM, data, Erik J. Larson, Substack}

Against the Tyranny of Data

_{Computer scientist and tech entrepreneur Erik J. Larson is launching his own Substack channel dedicated to promoting human flourishing in the computer age} _{Peter Biles
August 28, 2023

4

Artificial Intelligence}

We are not machines and were made for more than dataistic input and output. It’s to that central idea that Larson is dedicating his new project. Read More ›