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CategoryReligion

vintage-tone-beautiful-pedestrian-stone-bridge-and-knee-wobbling-vantage-point-over-the-second-tier-69-foot-drop-of-multnomah-falls-lower-in-winter-time-natural-and-seasonal-waterfall-background-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Vintage tone beautiful pedestrian stone bridge and knee-wobbling vantage point over the second tier 69-foot drop of Multnomah Falls lower in winter time. Natural and seasonal waterfall background
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post
Author
Michael Egnor
Date
September 15, 2020
Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Religion
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How Do You Know You Are Not the Only Human Who Ever Existed?

Can evidence or logic help you decide? You might be surprised…
Michael Egnor
September 15, 2020
Philosophy of Mind, Religion

Solipsism is the belief that you are the only human being who has ever existed; all others are the inventions of your imagination. G.K. Chesterton famously received a letter from a reader who commented (I paraphrase), ‘Solipsism is a compelling metaphysical position. I’m surprised more people don’t believe it.” At Scientific American, columnist John Horgan describes solipsism as a central dilemma of human life. In a recent essay, “How do I know I’m not the only conscious being in the universe?”, he writes, It is a central dilemma of human life—more urgent, arguably, than the inevitability of suffering and death. I have been brooding and ranting to my students about it for years. It surely troubles us more than ever…

artificial-robot-hand-touch-human-hand-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Artificial robot hand touch human hand
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post
Author
News
Date
September 13, 2020
Categorized
Ethics, Religion, Social Media
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Will We Outsource Religion and Spirituality to AI ?

A philosopher makes the case. But he worries, are we really outsourcing caring about others?
News
September 13, 2020
Ethics, Religion, Social Media

Last Sunday, we looked at the question raised by Professor David O’Hara of Augustana University (South Dakota) as to whether AI could someday have mystical experiences. Of course, a lot depends on whether AI can have any experiences at all. An agnostic himself, O’Hara has also asked us to consider how robot priests will “change human spirituality”: What matters is not whether we have invented true artificial intelligence, but whether we believe we have invented it. If we trust the machine, we might let it function as a mystic or a priest, even if it isn’t one. This raises the interesting question of what to do when someone makes a machine that is actually intended to play the role of…

charting-consciousness-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Charting Consciousness.
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post
Author
News
Date
September 10, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Religion
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Michael Egnor: What Happens to Our Consciousness After We Die?

Computer programmer and philosopher Bernardo Kastrup provides a surprising answer
News
September 10, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Religion

In this week’s podcast, “Can Computers Think?”, Michael Egnor continued his discussion with philosopher and computer programmer Bernardo Kastrup. As a scientist, Bernardo has worked for The European Organization for Nuclear Research and for Phillips Research Laboratories, and has authored many academic papers and books. This week, they look at a big question, “Will computers ever be conscious?”. But Egnor brought up an even bigger one: “What happens to our consciousness after we die?” As a scientist, Kastrup has worked for The European Organization for Nuclear Research and for Phillips Research Laboratories and has authored many academic papers and books. He is a leading advocate of cosmopsychism, the idea that intelligence did not randomly evolve somehow to help life forms…

a-3d-render-of-a-futuristic-person-made-of-gold-looking-up-at-the-sun-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
A 3D render of a futuristic person made of gold, looking up at the sun
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post
Author
News
Date
September 7, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Programming, Religion
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A Physicist Weighs In on “A.I. Jesus” Sputtering from the Bible

Rob Sheldon explains why the prophecies sound bizarre rather than merely mundane
News
September 7, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Programming, Religion

Last Sunday we reported on the computer program that inventor George Davila Durendal, hoped (or so he said) would—for millennia—be a sort of Scripture for robots and people. The program constructs “prophecies” from the text of the King James Version, a translation of the Bible into English completed in 1611, which has remained influential for centuries. Will the A.I. Jesus version do so well? Not if you go by prophecies like this: “And he shall come against him, and said, As the LORD liveth, that he might be fulfilled which was spoken, he said, Thou are the spirit of your good works that ye have not seen, nor any thing of the service thereof, and a certain censer, and the…

machine-god-human-palm-and-cog-wheels-3d-rendering-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Machine God. Human palm and cog wheels. 3D rendering
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post
Author
News
Date
September 6, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Religion
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And Now… Can AI Have Mystical Experiences?

A philosopher wonders whether technology could be part of some bigger plan to enable us to perceive other dimensions
News
September 6, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Religion
Remember A.I. Jesus? He’s so last week. We’re now told that AI in general might have a mystical side. Read More ›
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nautilus shell
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post
Author
News
Date
September 3, 2020
Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Religion
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Does Physics Today Point to Mind Rather Than Matter Only?

A cosmopsychist looks at the universe, God, and free will
News
September 3, 2020
Philosophy of Mind, Religion

In a recent podcast, “Does the Moon Exist if No One is Looking at It?”, Michael Egnor continued his discussion with philosopher and computer programmer Bernardo Kastrup. As a scientist, Kastrup has worked for The European Organization for Nuclear Research and for Phillips Research Laboratories, and has authored many academic papers and books. This week’s topic is the way physics today points to mind as opposed to materialism. Kastrup offers some thoughts on God and free will as well, from his cosmopsychist (or objective idealist) position: https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-095-Bernardo-Kastrup.mp3 From the transcript: (Other discussions in the series, Show Notes, Resources, and a link to the complete transcript follow.) Michael Egnor: You have said and written that physics points to the mind. What…

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Holy Bible
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post
Author
News
Date
August 30, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Religion
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A.I. Jesus Sputters from the King James Bible

The developer emphasizes that the program is a purely human creation
News
August 30, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Religion

The developer of A.I. Jesus is brazen about his intentions: In these days of trials and tribulations many have turned to religion. But what religion is left for those who have averted their gaze from the fables of old to the shiny metal toys of today? I present to you A.I. Jesus. An artificial intelligence of my invention created from the King James Bible and nothing else. This A.I. learned human language from reading the bible and nothing else; absorbing every word more thoroughly than all the monks of all the monasteries that have ever been. George Davila Durendal, “I Created an A.I. Clone of Jesus” at Medium Durendal (pictured) is an AI engineer and Founder & CEO at a…

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Recovery
Type
post
Author
News
Date
August 24, 2020
Categorized
Religion, Science
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Common Reasons for Dismissing Miracles Are Mistaken, Study Shows

Religious people are more likely to say they’ve experience a miracle but they aren’t the only ones who do
News
August 24, 2020
Religion, Science

In a research article published in Review of Religious Research in July, sociologist Edwin Eschler comes to some unexpected conclusions about who experiences miracles—defined as “any experience in which a person believes an event or outcome was influenced by supernatural agents”: For example, ➤ Well-educated and well-to-do people are just as likely to say they have experienced a miracle as poor and uneducated people—if they encounter an existential threat in life: Q: What were your major findings? Eschler: Well, first and simplest was that 57% of respondents had experienced a miracle of some kind. We’re not talking about a fringe belief/behavior. But more important was what I didn’t find: education had no relationship with experiencing miracles at all. Respondents with…

cat-looks-strange-look-in-the-night-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Cat looks strange look in the night
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 21, 2020
Categorized
Natural Intelligence, Neuroscience, Religion
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Some Mysteries About Cats … Solved!

Pet dogs outnumber cats but they’ll never excel at creating the aura of mystery at which the cat effortlessly succeeds
Denyse O'Leary
August 21, 2020
Natural Intelligence, Neuroscience, Religion

Following up on the ways cats are intelligent, it might be fun to look at how humans got involved with them. It turns out that there are reasons why we have always found cats mysterious, compared to dogs. Why are people so fond of cats? There are lots of reasons but here’s an interesting find: Domestic cats’ meows for attention are said to be unique to their relationship with humans. Oxford neuroscientist Morten Kringelbach has found a way to map human responses via magnetoencephalograph (MEG) studies that measure electrical activity in our brains in real time. He found that the cry of a baby triggered a response in the orbitofrontal cortex before study subjects had identified the sound consciously. Adult…

technology-addicted-family-parents-and-child-use-laptop-and-mobile-phones-modern-family-values-mom-dad-with-daughter-obsessed-with-devices-overuse-social-media-internet-addiction-concept-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Technology addicted family: parents and child use laptop and mobile phones. Modern family values - Mom, dad with daughter obsessed with devices overuse social media, internet addiction concept.
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post
Author
News
Date
August 9, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy, Religion, Social Media
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If New Tech Enhances Our Lives, Why Does It Make Us Crazy?

It doesn’t have to. Let’s think this through
News
August 9, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy, Religion, Social Media

It has never been easier to connect but somehow we don’t. Andrew McDiarmid, author of the blog Thinking and thriving in the digital age, asks us to consider why loneliness (and suicide) have accompanied the rise of new communications technology. And he offers a challenge: Here are just a few questions to ask yourself about each tech tool you have. Is using this tool a wise use of my time? Does it encourage me to think for myself? Does it enable me to use my God-given abilities and spiritual gifts? Does it help me accomplish what God wants me to do? Does using this tech compromise my witness to others by causing me to stumble or get distracted? Does it…

underground-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
underground
Type
post
Author
News
Date
August 2, 2020
Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Religion, Science
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Why Reasonable People Think Near-Death Experiences Are Real

Distinguished engineers Walter Bradley and Robert J.Marks sift through the evidence
News
August 2, 2020
Philosophy of Mind, Religion, Science

In a recent podcast, “Walter Bradley on Near-Death Experiences,” Center director Robert J. Marks discusses these experiences with Walter Bradley, after whom the Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence is named. Dr. Bradley is an emeritus distinguished professor at Baylor University, formerly professor and mechanical engineering head at Texas A&M University. https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-093-Walter-Bradley.mp3 Here are some selections from the transcript: (You can download the entire transcript here.) Marks and Bradley started with first principles: Is it reasonable to believe that there is anything out beyond the material world? Many people assume that science exists to defend materialism. But Walter Bradley has defended the idea that there is also an immaterial world, of which we are a part, in a…

3d-rendering-of-a-futuristic-mech-soldier-with-dog-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
3D rendering of a futuristic mech soldier with dog.
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post
Author
News
Date
July 19, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Surveillance, Technocracy
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Do Some Passages in the Book of Revelation Seem to Talk About AI?

Revelation is notoriously obscure but a passage about a future “total control” state gives pause for thought
News
July 19, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Surveillance, Technocracy

John Lennox, author of 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (2020), is not only an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University but also pastoral advisor to Green Templeton College at Oxford. In a podcast, “Does Revelation Talk About Artificial Intelligence?” with Robert J. Marks, director of the Walter Bradley Institute, he addresses the title question, “Do some passages in the Book of Revelation seem to talk about AI?”: https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-091-John-Lennox.mp3 Selections from the transcript are provided below: (The complete downloadable transcript may be found following the Show Notes and Resources. “Can AI Replace the Need for Belief in God?” provides an account of the earlier portion of this lively discussion.) Robert J. Marks (right): Last question I want…

artificial-robot-hand-touch-human-hand-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Artificial robot hand touch human hand
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 19, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Science
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Can AI Replace the Need for Belief in God?

Oxford mathematician contends that science should increase our respect for what God has created and allowed us to do
News
July 19, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Science

John Lennox. author of 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (2020), is not only an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University but also pastoral advisor to Green Templeton College at Oxford. In a podcast, “Does Revelation Talk About Artificial Intelligence?”, he discusses with Robert J. Marks, director of the Walter Bradley Institute, the title question: “Can AI replace the need for belief in God?” https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-091-John-Lennox.mp3 Selections from the transcript are provided below: (The complete downloadable transcript may be found following the Show Notes and Resources) Robert J. Marks (right): Let’s talk about the theological implications of AI. You have a reputation, not only as a mathematician, but a Christian apologist. And I wanted to go into some…

abstract round light background.jpg
3D rendering abstract round light background
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 17, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Religion
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Oxford Mathematician: Atheism Detracts from Science

The problem, as John Lennox sees it, is that atheism does not provide grounds for believing in rationality
News
July 17, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Religion

Today, Evolution News and Science Today published an excerpt from Oxford mathematician John Lennox’s 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (Zondervan 2020): in which Lennox discusses some of the ways in which atheism detracts from science: Science proceeds on the basis of the assumption that the universe is, at least to a certain extent, accessible to the human mind. No science can be done without the scientist believing this, so it is important to ask for grounds for this belief. Atheism gives us none, since it posits a mindless, unguided origin of the universe’s life and consciousness. John Lennox, “Why Science and Atheism Don’t Mix” at Evolution News and Science Today: He offers physicist John Polkinghorne’s explanation of…

stumble warning.jpg
Warning Sign about Stumbling
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 12, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Science
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In Dan Brown’s AI Hype Novel, the Hero Stumbles Onto God

Not clear that was supposed to happen but stories do get away on their authors at times…
News
July 12, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Science

In a recent podcast, “John Lennox: False Assumptions in the hype over AI,” Oxford mathematician John Lennox, author of 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (2020) discussed common mistaken assumptions with Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks. One of them seems to be that AI might prove there is no God, replace God, or become God. Things get interesting when these science fictions meet the world of fact. https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-090-John-Lennox.mp3 From the transcript: Robert J. Marks: In your book, you discussed Dan Brown’s novel entitled Origin. Now Dan Brown is famous for writing many, I don’t know, kind of strange books. One was the Da Vinci Code, but his recent one deals with artificial intelligence and you discuss…

St-Francis-Outpatient-Center
St Francis Outpatient Center in Federal Way, Washington State
Type
post
Author
Michael Egnor
Date
June 1, 2020
Categorized
Medicine and Health, Religion
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COVID-19: Atheism Went Viral As Well

Atheists are uniquely unsuited to accuse others of devaluing human life
Michael Egnor
June 1, 2020
Medicine and Health, Religion

Professor Steven Pinker’s quickly deleted tweet provides a window into anti-religious hate. In health and medicine, he is entirely mistaken. 

Read More ›
two-astronauts-on-the-alien-planet-discover-plant-life-space-travel-discovery-of-habitable-worlds-and-colonization-concept-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Two Astronauts on the Alien Planet Discover Plant Life. Space Travel, Discovery Of Habitable Worlds and Colonization Concept.
Type
post
Author
News
Date
May 31, 2020
Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Religion, Science
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Is Intelligence Common or Rare in the Universe?

A recent analysis says that life is common but intelligence not so much. Let’s explore the reasoning
News
May 31, 2020
Philosophy of Mind, Religion, Science

We really don't know anything about life elsewhere in the universe so even university-trained scientists often try to WISH it into existence.

Read More ›
if-then-logic-statement-written-in-white-chalk-on-a-black-chalkboard-isolated-on-white-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
If Then logic statement written in white chalk on a black chalkboard isolated on white
Type
post
Author
News
Date
May 10, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Mathematics, Religion
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Gödel and God: A Surprising History

A thought-provoking account of master logician Gödel’s largely unknown proof of the existence of God
News
May 10, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Mathematics, Religion

In an unsanitized, politically incorrect (but factual) history, Selmer Bringsjord talks about how the tormented genius Kurt Gödel took up a quest that dated back a thousand years to prove the existence of God by formal logic. His original version didn’t quite work but his editor’s version passed an important logic test.

Read More ›
Fractal galaxy cosmic consciousness, the Eye that is the Source of Creation
Type
post
Author
Michael Egnor
Date
March 22, 2020
Categorized
Religion
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God’s Existence Is Proven by Science

Arguments for God’s existence can be demonstrated by the ordinary method of scientific inference
Michael Egnor
March 22, 2020
Religion

If we approach the arguments logically, as the ancient philosophers did, we will see that it is more certain that God exists than that anything else does. Atheist evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne should consider the arguments more carefully before assuming that prayer is foolish.

Read More ›
Panoramic aerial view of St Peter's square in Vatican, Rome Italy
Type
post
Author
Jay Richards
Date
March 22, 2020
Categorized
Business and Finance, Ethics, Religion
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Why Does the Vatican Need Microsoft?

Should the Church really partner with IBM and Microsoft to make pronouncements on tech regulation?
Jay Richards
March 22, 2020
Business and Finance, Ethics, Religion

When giant corporate actors like IBM and Microsoft promote “transparency and compliance with ethical principles?”, we run the risk that they are helping to craft regulations that hinder future competitors (“regulatory capture”). Rather than partner with them in making statements, the Church should stay clear.

Read More ›