Category: Religion | Page 7

Silhouette of human with universe and physical, mathematical formulas

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News
Date
March 5, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Mathematics, Religion

Tagged
Carl Friedrich Gauss, Featured, Georg Cantor, God's existence, Gregory Chaitin, infinity, Kurt Gödel, Leonhard Euler, Robert J. Marks, Srinivasa Ramanujan}

Gregory Chaitin on the Great Mathematicians, East and West

_{Himself a “game-changer” in mathematics, Chaitin muses on what made the great thinkers stand out} _{News
March 5, 2021

12

Artificial Intelligence, Mathematics, Religion}

In this week’s podcast, “The Chaitin interview I: Chaitin chats with Kurt Gödel,” Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks interviewed mathematician and computer scientist Gregory Chaitin on the almost supernatural awareness that the great mathematicians had of the foundations of reality in the mathematics of our universe: https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-124-Gregory-Chaitin.mp3 This discussion begins at 8:26 min. A partial transcript, Show Notes and Additional Resources follow. Robert J. Marks: There are few people who can be credited without any controversy with the founding of a game changing field of mathematics. We are really fortunate today to talk to Gregory Chaitin (pictured) who has that distinction. Professor Chaitin is a co-founder of the Field of Algorithmic Information Theory that explores the properties of Read More ›

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News
Date
February 28, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy, Religion, Surveillance

Tagged
1984 (book), 2084 (book), Atheism, C. S. Lewis, Featured, George Orwell, God's existence, immortality, John Lennox, Robert J. Marks, That Hideous Strength (book), transhumanism}

Why Oxford’s John Lennox Wrote a Book on AI Promises and Threats

_{His book 2084 leans on George Orwell’s 1984 but takes its inspiration from C. S. Lewis’s That Hideous Strength} _{News
February 28, 2021

12

Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy, Religion, Surveillance}

Recently, Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks interviewed Oxford mathematician John Lennox on his latest book 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (2020). He focused on why Lennox chose that theme and how far we have caught up with George Orwell’s 1984. Here are some excerpts from the combined interviews in “John Lennox on Artificial Intelligence and Humanity”: https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-123-John-Lennox.mp3 A partial transcript follows, along with highlights, Show Notes, and Resources: Robert J. Marks (starting at roughly 1:40 min): Many of Orwell’s predictions about communism were proven. So what will be the effects of AI a century later in the year 2084? Replacing George Orwell is Dr. John Lennox who has written 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future Read More ›

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Michael Egnor
Date
February 28, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Religion, Science

Tagged
Atheism, Cosmic fine-tuning, Featured, Fine-tuning, God's existence, Inverse gambler's fallacy, Multiverse, Philip Goff, Steven Novella, Universe}

We Don’t Live in a Multiverse Because the Concept Makes No Sense

_{Neurologist Steven Novella and philosopher Philip Goff, both atheists, agree that there are many universes besides the one we live in} _{Michael Egnor
February 28, 2021

5

Philosophy, Religion, Science}

Cosmic fine-tuning is the observation that many of the values of the variables in the fundamental laws of physics specifically permit the existence of sentient life (life like us) within a very narrow margin of error. The likelihood of this happening by chance seems vanishingly small. It seems as if Someone expected us. How can we explain this? The fact that God created the universe explains fine-tuning. But for atheists, it’s a real conundrum. As a result, at Neurologica blog, neurologist Steven Novella (pictured) and philosopher Philip Goff have been discussing the most popular atheist explanation for fine-tuning, the “multiverse.” That is, there are countless universes out there, each with its own parameters, and ours just happens to be one Read More ›

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News
Date
February 21, 2021

Categorized
Religion, Science

Tagged
Apologetics, Featured, For a Greater Purpose (book), Freedom of religion, Robert J. Marks, Walter Bradley, William Dembski}

How Walter Bradley Broke Down Campus Anti-Christian Prejudice

_{Bradley has been a very successful mechanical engineering researcher but he has never lost sight of larger goals, such as religious freedom at universities} _{News
February 21, 2021

7

Religion, Science}

In Thursday’s podcast, “The Life of Walter Bradley With William Dembski (Part II),” Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks and design theorist William Dembski reflect on the biography they have written about a remarkable engineer, Walter Bradley, For a Greater Purpose: The Life and Legacy of Walter Bradley. In Part I, they discussed Bradley’s work in helping develop appropriate industries using sustainable technologies in the developing world. Here in Part II, they look at the way Bradley politely but effectively insisted on respect for the rights of religious students and faculty, as well as others. And got it. Robert J. Marks: When Walter Bradley was a professor, one of the things that he wanted to do was to talk Read More ›

hedef başarısı ve birlik beraberlik ruhu

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News
Date
February 14, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Religion, Science

Tagged
Appropriate Technology, Brian Thomas, Cell phones, coconuts, Featured, Haiti, Origin of life, Robert J. Marks, Walter Bradley, William Dembski}

Walter Bradley: Finding a Life of Greater Purpose

_{Bradley has been a pioneer in the development of appropriate technologies for developing regions of the world} _{News
February 14, 2021

11

Philosophy of Mind, Religion, Science}

In last week’s podcast, “The Life of Walter Bradley With William Dembski (Part I),” Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks and design theorist William Dembski discuss the biography they have written about a remarkable engineer, Walter Bradley, For a Greater Purpose: The Life and Legacy of Walter Bradley. It also helps explain why we call ourselves the Walter Bradley Center, as we seek to extend Dr. Bradley’s work. https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-121-William-Dembski.mp3 A partial transcript follows. This transcript begins at 02:55. Show notes and links follow. Before getting down to the main business, design theorist William Dembski, possibly the best known theorist of design in nature, told Robert Marks that he plans a second edition of his Cambridge University Press book, The Read More ›

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Robert J. Marks
Date
February 2, 2021

Categorized
Religion, Science

Tagged
Blaise Pascal, Claude Shannon, Donald Knuth, Featured, Francis COllins, Isaac Newton, Leonhard Euler, Richard Feynman, Thomas Bayes}

Five Surprising Facts Re Famous Scientists We Bet You Never Knew

_{How about juggling, riding a unicycle, and playing bongo? Or catching criminals or cracking safes?} _{Robert J. Marks
February 2, 2021

8

Religion, Science}

We know what famous scientists like Einstein are famous for but we don’t know much about who they are. Here are five personal life facts about scientists who made a big difference to our understanding of the world that you probably didn’t know. The most interesting one is saved for last. 1.Isaac Newton dressed as a bum to mingle with the unwashed and catch criminals. Isaac Newton (1642 – 1727) was the father of classical physics and an inventor of calculus. When students take their first college classes in calculus and physics today, they study the concepts Newton developed in the 17th century. But Newton also wrote over a million words on Biblical prophecy. He was also the Warden and Read More ›

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Robert J. Marks
Date
January 22, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Religion

Tagged
AI Church, Anthony Levandowski, Featured, Uber, Way of the Future (church), Waymo}

The President Pardons the Founder of a Church That Worships AI

_{On his last day in office, departing President Trump pardoned Anthony Levandowski} _{Robert J. Marks
January 22, 2021

2

Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Religion}

Anthony Levandowski has an interesting history He transitioned from Silicon Valley wunderkind to inept theologian to convicted felon. Now he is free, due to a pardon given by Donald Trump in Trump’s last day in office. If you are an orthodox materialist, you believe our brains are computers made of meat. Artificial intelligence, brains made out of silicon, will therefore match and eventually exceed human capabilities and become godlike. So it might make sense to form a church that worships this future AI god. That’s what Anthony Levandowski did in 2019. His church was christened Way of the Future. Levandowski reasoned “What is going to be created [by AI] will effectively be a god … if there is something a Read More ›

The universe within. Silhouette of a man inside the universe, physical and mathematical formulas.. The concept on scientific and philosophical topics. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.

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News
Date
January 17, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Religion, Science

Tagged
Fine-tuning, Intelligent Design}

Why Intelligent Design of the Universe Is Not an Absurd Idea

_{It is only eight pages, well within the patience of the average viewer and very clearly written} _{News
January 17, 2021

5

Philosophy, Religion, Science}

Raymond Bergner, psychology prof at Illinois State University, wrote a most interesting paper in 2017 discussing the intelligent design controversy—the question of whether the universe shows evidence of design. Mercifully, it is only eight pages, well within the patience of the average viewer and very clearly written. He makes clear he is not arguing for the concept but only explaining why it is not at all absurd. He makes a number of key points. Here are two, some thoughts interspersed: Many extraordinarily intelligent and relevantly informed people believe and have believed in intelligent design. Famously, Isaac Newton, himself a heretic and hardly a slave to conventional religious belief, once stated that, “This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and Read More ›

colonnade in medieval spanish monastery of Santo Estevo

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Denyse O'Leary
Date
January 12, 2021

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Religion

Tagged
Aging, mental health}

Can Religion Improve a Person’s Mental Health?

_{That’s a big claim but there is considerable evidence for it. The question is, what does the evidence mean?} _{Denyse O'Leary
January 12, 2021

3

Medicine and Health, Religion}

In 2020, a year when Americans’ perception of their own mental health dropped significantly, we are told that Gallup reported: The only demographic subgroup who didn’t report a decline were those who attend religious services weekly. That group showed an increase of 4 percent compared to 2019. Joe Carter, “New Study: Frequent Churchgoers Have Better Mental Health” at Gospel Coalition Carter cites several sources arguing for the benefits of religion but, in truth, it’s not really a new idea. Religion gives people something to believe in, provides a sense of structure and typically offers a group of people to connect with over similar beliefs. These facets can have a large positive impact on mental health—research suggests that religiosity reduces suicide Read More ›

A miracle happened. Disabled handicapped man is healthy again. He is happy and jumping at sunset.

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News
Date
January 3, 2021

Categorized
Religion, Science

Tagged
Miracles, Tim Andersen}

A Physicist Tries To Understand Miracles

_{Andersen helpfully dismisses foolish arguments against the possibility of miracles} _{News
January 3, 2021

3

Religion, Science}

In a longish and very interesting article, physicist Tim Andersen tries to understand miracles. From a religious perspective, miracles are direct actions by God. They need not involve violations of laws of nature. There is no “law of nature” that says your mom couldn’t get a remission from cancer—though friends who pray for it might say it’s a miracle if she does. Similarly, we are told in the Book of Daniel (6:22) that the mouths of the lions, to whom Daniel was thrown, were shut by an angel. But it’s not clear that any violation of the laws of nature was involved. All we know is that the lions did not attack Daniel. Andersen helpfully dismisses foolish arguments against the Read More ›

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News
Date
January 3, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Religion

Tagged
J. P. Moreland, Reality}

How Do We Know What Is Real? Philosopher J. P. Moreland Can Help

_{News
January 3, 2021

1

Philosophy of Mind, Religion}

This coming August will mark the beginning of a battle that I began with three different forms of cancer that I continue to this day to be fighting. I don’t know how long I have… When is it okay to disagree with what the majority of experts in a field believe? … I’m going to go with the majority of experts, unless something happens. If there are two conditions present, you are justified in going against the vast majority of experts. Number 1: If the majority opinion is based on non-rational factors If there is a small, educated rebel group who publish in peer-reviewed journals and high quality books who have provided an alternative paradigm. (July 9, 2018) Remember Moreland’s Read More ›

3D Illustration Emotionen als Freisteller

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Denyse O'Leary
Date
December 13, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Natural Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Religion

Tagged
emotions, Rosalind Picard}

Can We Teach a Computer to Feel Things? A Dialogue…

_{Okay, There’s the computer’s side… and then there’s the dog’s side. Listen to both} _{Denyse O'Leary
December 13, 2020

6

Artificial Intelligence, Natural Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Religion}

The dialogue got started because of a gifted computer nerd, Rosalind Picard, also a playwright (pictured), who decided to become an evangelical Christian in midlife (approx 2019). As she tells it, “a flat, black-and-white existence suddenly turned full-color and three-dimensional.” The director of MIT’s Media Lab, she had also written a book in 2000 called Affective Computing which seems to suggest that one could somehow give emotions to machines. I asked Eric Holloway to help me figure that one out: O’Leary: Emotions are based on actual well-being or suffering. How can something that is not alive have actual emotions? Don’t think of people here!; think of dogs. Dogs have emotions. When my computer is giving trouble, I certainly hope it’s Read More ›

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Heather Zeiger
Date
December 6, 2020

Categorized
Religion, Technocracy

Tagged
China, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Christianity, Falun Gong, Featured, Jesus, Massimo Introvigne, Xi Jinping}

China’s Door-to-Door Census Now Identifies Religious Believers

_{Census takers are urged to keep their eyes open for evidence of religious activity} _{Heather Zeiger
December 6, 2020

7

Religion, Technocracy}

China will complete its seventh census, begun on November 1, on December 10. New features that have prompted concern include: Residents must indicate whether they have family members in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan or if they have any family members outside of the country and those who are over sixty must indicate their state of health (Reuters, November 2, 2020). Some have resisted answering census takers’ questions for fear of losing rights and privileges under the new Social Credit System. But more than that, some seven million census takers go door-to-door, interviewing residents and entering information that goes directly to the government via mobile apps. Bitter Winter talked to several census takers who said they were instructed to pay Read More ›

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News
Date
November 10, 2020

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind, Religion

Tagged
LSD, Politics, Psilocybin}

Can a Pill Change Your Mind About Basic Issues in Life?

_{The legalization of mind-altering drugs raises the question in the research community} _{News
November 10, 2020

6

Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind, Religion}

An Oxford researcher into psychedelics thinks so. Eddie Jacobs offers a disturbing premise, “What if a pill can change your politics or religious beliefs?” The background is that some jurisdictions are contemplating licencing the otherwise illegal psychedelic psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”) in the near future as a treatment for depression. He writes, How would you feel about a new therapy for your chronic pain, which—although far more effective than any available alternative—might also change your religious beliefs? Or a treatment for lymphoma that brings one in three patients into remission, but also made them more likely to vote for your least preferred political party? Eddie Jacobs, “What if a Pill Can Change Your Politics or Religious Beliefs?” at Scientific American (October Read More ›

Intelligent robot cyborg using digital globe interface 3D rendering

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News
Date
October 22, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Religion

Tagged
Alan Turing, AlphaGo, AlphaGoZero, Claude Shannon, Featured, Gaming AI (book), George Gilder, Go, John von Neumann, Kevin Kelly, Max Tegmark, Ray Kurzweil, Yuval Noah Harari}

Why AI Geniuses Think They Can Create True Thinking Machines

_{Early on, it seemed like a string of unbroken successes …} _{News
October 22, 2020

8

Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Religion}

In George Gilder’s telling, the story goes back to Bletchley Park, where British codebreakers broke the “unbreakable” Nazi ciphers. In Gaming AI, the tech philosopher and futurist traces the modern concept of a machine that really thinks for itself back to its earliest known beginnings. Free for download, his concise book also explains why the programmers were bound to fail in their quest for the supermachine. But let’s start with why they thought—and many today still think— it could work. Success emboldened the pioneers to dream of a final AI triumph They had every reason to be emboldened by success. Special computers called “bombes,” created by Alan Turing’s team, broke every version of the famous Enigma code used by the Read More ›

China flag and praying patriot man with crossed hands. Holding cross, hoping and wishing.

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Heather Zeiger
Date
October 18, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Social Media, Surveillance, Technocracy

Tagged
___longform, Atheism, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), COVID-19, Falun Gong, Featured, internet}

How China’s Technocracy Uses the Pandemic to Suppress Religion

_{The pandemic provided a pretext to install surveillance equipment in churches and surveil believers online} _{Heather Zeiger
October 18, 2020

9

Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Social Media, Surveillance, Technocracy}

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought out the ways that technology can lead either to greater accessibility or greater oppression. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is now using the same technologies that have given many people around the world access to religious materials and church services during the pandemic to forcibly stop religious gatherings and restrict the distribution of religious materials within China. Although the CCP is officially atheist, over 60% of the population adheres to a recognized religion; 30.8% practice Chinese folk religions, 16.6% Buddhism, 7.4% Christianity, 4.2% ethnic religion, and 1.8% Islam. Authentic numbers may be higher, given the risk of punishment for practicing certain religions in China. The Chinese government has persecuted, tortured, and imprisoned Falun Gong members Read More ›

beautiful natural bright background (texture), peacock feathers, panorama

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News
Date
September 27, 2020

Categorized
Religion

Tagged
Fine-tuning, god, Goldilocks Zone, Psychology, Rare Earth hypothesis}

Believers in God Detect Patterns More Easily

_{Psychologists found that both devout Christians and Muslims unconsciously detected patterns in a test more quickly} _{News
September 27, 2020

4

Religion}

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center wanted to know “why and how brains come to believe in gods.” They explored that question using a concept in psychology called implicit pattern learning. Explicit learning is conscious but implicit learning is unconscious. For example, explicit learning is mastering the times tables in arithmetic class. Implicit learning is absorbing, without consciously thinking about it, the way the teacher treats others. The researchers’ hypothesis was: “people whose brains are good at subconsciously discerning patterns in their environment may ascribe those patterns to the hand of a higher power” To test that, they studied people who believe in God in the United States and in Afghanistan, using a conventional test for unconscious pattern learning: For Read More ›

Entrance gate to Persepolis Persia Iran Gate of All Nations

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News
Date
September 24, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Machine Learning, Religion, Science

Tagged
Archeology, Featured, Mesopotamia, Neural networks, Predictive text, Rob Sheldon}

How Much Can New AI Tell Us About Ancient Times?

_{An ambitious new project hopes to use the predictive text that cell phones use to unlock their stories} _{News
September 24, 2020

9

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Machine Learning, Religion, Science}

Many researchers hope that AI will leading to a“golden age” of discovery for lost languages, hard to decipher writings, and badly damaged Biblical scrolls. Algorithms can chug through vast numbers of possibilities of interpretation, presenting the scholar with probabilities to choose from. But even powerful algorithms have their work cut out for them. For example, of the hundreds of thousands of clay (cuneiform) tablets that survive from an ancient part of the Near East called Mesopotamia, many are damaged. We may know the language but we don’t know what’s missing from the text and what difference the missing part makes to what is being said. Experts try to fill in the missing parts but guessing at all the possibilities is Read More ›

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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Michael Egnor
Date
September 15, 2020

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Religion

Tagged
Featured, G. K. Chesterton, John Horgan, Law of non-contradiction, Rene Descartes}

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

6

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 Read More ›

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News
Date
September 13, 2020

Categorized
Ethics, Religion, Social Media

Tagged
BlessU-2, Buddhism, Facebook, Japan, Mark Zuckerberg, Robots}

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

6

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 Read More ›