Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

Tagtranshumanism

stained-glass-collage-of-stores-from-the-bible-stockpack-adobe-stock
Stained glass collage of stores from the Bible
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
September 17, 2023
Categorized
Transhumanism
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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

You can see it in the discourse surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) over the last year: AI is going to change everything. Some think it’s going to do this for the better. Others think it’s a technological handmaiden for world destruction if its programming goes awry — or worse: AI becomes self-determining and sentient. An insightful article at Vox by Sigal Samuel considers this doomsday/salvific kind of rhetoric and points out that AI developers sound a whole lot like religious priests, prophesying doom, promising salvation, warning the populace to heed the coming armageddon. He writes, These technologists propose cheating death by uploading our minds to the cloud, where we can live digitally for all eternity. They talk about AI as a Read More ›

a-robot-or-a-woman-half-a-robot-with-mechanical-technological-body-parts-and-upgrades-transhumanism-cyborg-and-artificial-intelligence-stockpack-adobe-stock
a robot or a woman half a robot with mechanical technological body parts and upgrades, transhumanism cyborg and artificial intelligence,
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post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
September 2, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Transhumanism
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Wrapping Up the Westworld Series

Ultimately, the moral of the story is transhumanism
Gary Varner
September 2, 2023
7
Arts & Culture, Transhumanism

The first time I watched Westworld, I remember enjoying it, but upon revisiting the series, my opinion of it has dropped a great deal. There are a variety of problems. First, it’s a bait and switch. It teases the idea of showing how robots can come to life, and it plays with your expectations for most of the series. It even goes as far as to discuss theories like The Bicameral Mind, and The Turing Test. Then, in the last episode, it confirms what the viewer has been slowly growing to suspect. The robots had been coming to life the entire time, and Ford had been wiping their memories. The show says that Ford programmed the robots to experience everything Read More ›

odessa-ukraine-july-26-2023-barbie-doll-and-barbie-doll-accessories-concept-stockpack-adobe-stock
ODESSA, UKRAINE - JULY 26, 2023: Barbie doll and barbie doll accessories concept
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post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
August 7, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Transhumanism
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Barbie: A Subtle Critique of Transhumanism?

Reviews for the new "Barbie" movie abound. But have most of them missed the point?
Peter Biles
August 7, 2023
3
Arts & Culture, Transhumanism

Since its release in July, Barbie has proved as controversial as it has popular. Its joint release alongside Oppenheimer has had movie theaters across the country teeming with “Barbenheimer” fans, those zealous people who watched both movies on the same day in an unprecedented feat of pink glitz and existential dread. But what is Barbie about? Is it a takedown of the patriarchy, a gentle comedy, or something a bit more subtle and powerful? The reviews have ranged between harsh critique and lavish praise. With the flood of commentary, though, have most people missed a central and yet subtle point? Elayne Allen, writing for Public Discourse, offers an alternative interpretation of the movie which might have bypassed the imaginations of Read More ›

3d-rendering-of-human-cell-or-embryonic-stem-cell-microscope-background-stockpack-adobe-stock
3d rendering of Human cell or Embryonic stem cell microscope background.
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post
Author
Wesley J. Smith
Date
August 1, 2023
Categorized
Biology
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Scientists Close to Creating Human Embryos from Stem Cells

The “anything goes” ethical peril in biotechnology is all too real
Wesley J. Smith
August 1, 2023
5
Biology

During the great embryonic-stem-cell debate in the early 2000s, I personally witnessed scientists blatantly mislead legislators about biotech issues such as cloning, adult stem cells, and the biological nature of embryos in order to gain funding and/or resist regulations. It was an effective, but disgraceful, tactic that disrespected the democratic process about crucial issues of morality and public policy. Now, with the creation of human “synthetic embryos,” aka, “embryo models, or “embryo replicas,” which are constructed with pluripotent stem cells, I hope we are not slipping back into those bad old days of mendacity. But I worry. A recent story about the breakthrough in Science News contains an incomplete description about human embryology that impacts the ethical stakes about what is being Read More ›

robotic-hand-study-for-object-manipulation-strategy-stockpack-adobe-stock
Robotic hand study for object manipulation strategy.
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post
Author
News
Date
July 16, 2023
Categorized
Transhumanism
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Jay Richards Talks Transhumanism and AI

The underlying philosophy of transhumanism should be rejected
News
July 16, 2023
1
Transhumanism

Dr. Jay Richards, a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute and a friend of the Walter Bradley Center, which publishes Mind Matters, spoke recently at the Acton University conference, discussing both transhumanism and AI. Transhumanists, Richards notes, look at the scope of “cosmic evolution,” see a kind of increasing complexity among the human race, and speculate the next dramatic step: achieving immortality through a mixture of genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence. Richards described the transhumanist ideology as “anti-human,” but cautioned against having a reactionary response to all new technologies that seem to be involved in transhumanism’s vision, noting that some of them, when analyzed specifically, could have benefits (such as AI). The underlying philosophy of transhumanism, however, should be rejected. Read More ›

frankenstein-stockpack-adobe-stock
Frankenstein
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post
Author
News
Date
July 5, 2023
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Arts & Culture
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The Modern-Day “Frankenstein” Is Coming

"Poor Things," starring Emma Stone, is about a girl brought back to life. Ring a bell?
News
July 5, 2023
1
Arts & Culture

The movie Poor Things, starring Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Mark Ruffalo, is the story of an “unorthodox” scientist who brings a girl, Bella Baxter (Stone), back to life. Baxter must learn how to navigate the world given her unwieldy demeanor and the uncoordinated connection between her brain and body. It looks to be a pretty close re-interpretation of Mary Shelley’s classic science fiction novel Frankenstein. Whether it will get even close to investigating Shelley’s key questions and insights remains to be seen, of course. Interestingly, the scientist (Dafoe) has a deformed face that looks like it was stitched together piece by piece, similar to popular renderings of Frankenstein’s monster. You can watch the trailer here:

industrial-pollution-at-sunset-with-smokestacks-emitting-smoke-generative-ai-stockpack-adobe-stock
industrial pollution at sunset with smokestacks emitting smoke. Generative AI
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post
Author
News
Date
June 19, 2023
Categorized
Transhumanism
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Two Writers on Transhumanist Trends

Paul Kingsnorth and Mary Harrington discuss the modern urge to throw off all natural limits
News
June 19, 2023
1
Transhumanism

This is a conversation from a year ago but nevertheless remains radically pertinent today. Paul Kingsnorth and Mary Harrington, both who have written on various modern trends to try and transcend bodily limits, sat down on the Rebel Wisdom YouTube channel to have a chat. Both have written for the online magazine UnHerd, but up until this point, had never interacted with each other. Kingsnorth is a former environmentalist who became disillusioned with the movement and eventually converted to Orthodox Christianity. He is also a novelist and currently lives a simple life in Ireland. Harrington is a contributing editor of UnHerd and writes on feminism, politics, and other pressing cultural issues. Both believe that the urge to throw off human Read More ›

close-up-on-drop-splash-of-a-healthy-extra-virgin-oil-full-of-oligo-elements-and-vitamins-creating-circular-waves-by-falling-down-on-the-liquid-and-seamless-pure-surface-shining-with-golden-reflects-stockpack-adobe-stock
Close up on drop splash of a healthy extra-virgin oil full of oligo elements and vitamins creating circular waves by falling down on the liquid and seamless pure surface shining with golden reflects.
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post
Author
News
Date
June 4, 2023
Categorized
Medicine and Health
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Synthetic Biology: What New Therapies Are in Store?

For today's featured video from COSM 2022, watch Babak Parviz, Vice President at Amazon, lead a discussion on synthetic biology
News
June 4, 2023
2
Medicine and Health

For today’s featured video from COSM 2022, watch Babak Parviz, Vice President at Amazon, lead a discussion on synthetic biology, the multi-disciplinary field that applies engineering principles to redesign biological systems for new purposes. The panel focuses on bio-medical technologies that hold great promise for curing diseases and even counteracting human aging. For more material on the topic, see this piece on Altos Labs and their work on bio-longevity. Part of their project also involves artificial intelligence research: Altos Labs’ vision isn’t too far removed from that of the transhumanists who want to computerize human consciousness. For them, however, longevity is a junior varsity goal — what we really need is a way to live forever. Harrison quips at the Read More ›

the-beam-of-light-in-the-path-of-the-magic-forest-stockpack-adobe-stock
The beam of light in the path of the magic forest
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post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
May 28, 2023
Categorized
Philosophy, Religion
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The Rational Magicians

Can real meaning be experienced in a godless world? The postrationalists are trying
Peter Biles
May 28, 2023
4
Philosophy, Religion

In the era of scientific enlightenment, progress, and technological sophistication, “magic” might be the last word one might use to describe the activity of modern Western culture. We live in an age of reason, not superstition. Right? The old world of myth, mystery, and religion is holed away in museums and cathedrals; these are relics of an admirable but outdated generation. After Reason In a fascinating new article from The New Atlantis, writer Tara Isabella Burton writes about the “postrationalists,” an Internet subculture disillusioned with the technocratic rationalism of Silicon Valley and in search of a sense of the mystical and divine. “Reason,” or the modern conception of it, has left the postrationalists disappointed. Neither, however, are they flocking to Read More ›

neurotechnology-and-neuromodulation-conceptual-illustration-stockpack-adobe-stock
Neurotechnology and Neuromodulation - Conceptual Illustration
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post
Author
News
Date
May 26, 2023
Categorized
Technology
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Neuralink All Set for Human Trials

What could go wrong?
News
May 26, 2023
2
Technology

Neuralink, Elon Musk’s bio-engineering company that launched in 2016, received approval from the FDA to begin human experiments with its brain implant technology. The company has struggled for years to gain such approval, and up to this point, has been investigated on occasion for potential dangers the implants might pose. Musk, however, is optimistic about the technology, and thinks it may have the potential to heal a range of disorders and illnesses including autism, depression, and schizophrenia. However, the organization is being “probed” by various governmental agencies. According to a Reuters report, The Department of Transportation is separately probing whether Neuralink illegally transported dangerous pathogens on chips removed from monkey brains without proper containment measures. Neuralink is also under investigation by the U.S. Department Read More ›

office-building-top-view-background-in-retro-style-colors-manhattan-buildings-of-new-york-city-center-wall-street-stockpack-adobe-stock
Office building top view background in retro style colors. Manhattan buildings of New York City center - Wall street
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post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
May 21, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Transhumanism
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HBO’s “Succession” Goes Transhumanist

The popular show about a family owned media empire hints at the desire to live forever
Peter Biles
May 21, 2023
3
Arts & Culture, Transhumanism

[Warning: Spoilers Ahead] The highly-watched HBO show “Succession” tells the story of a media empire ruled by a cantankerous, manipulative businessman, Logan Roy, and his three children who are hardly any better. Most of the show is a commentary on the corrupting effects of wealth and the power dynamics involved in the media empire’s core leadership. In the dramatic fourth season, Logan Roy dies from what seems to be a stroke while he’s flying to Norway to discuss a giant merger deal with another media mogul. From there, the three Roy children, Kendall, Roman, and Shiv (along with a half-brother Connor who doesn’t care as much about his place in the kingdom) scramble to figure out the leadership, direction, and Read More ›

newborn-baby-holding-mothers-hand-stockpack-adobe-stock
Newborn baby holding mother's hand.
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post
Author
Wesley J. Smith
Date
May 9, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Ethics
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Abortion: Switching Off a Computer?

This is the kind of thinking that results from rejecting the intrinsic moral value of human life
Wesley J. Smith
May 9, 2023
3
Artificial Intelligence, Ethics

This is the kind of thinking that results from rejecting the intrinsic moral value of human life. Princeton University bioethicist Peter Singer — who is most famous for secularly blessing infanticide — just compared abortion to turning off a computer. He first claims that should an AI ever become “sentient,” turning it off would be akin to killing a being with the highest moral value (which for him, as described below, need not be human). From the Yahoo News story: We asked internationally renowned moral philosopher Professor Peter Singer whether AI should have human rights if it becomes conscious of its own existence. While Professor Singer doesn’t believe the ChatGPT operating system is sentient or self-aware, if this was to change he argues it should be given some moral status. Read More ›

allure of the metaverse
Moving Forward to Metaverse, New Technology, Web3.0, Blockchain and the Next Layer of the Internet Concepts. Man Steps into Future Door. Futuristic Tone.
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post
Author
Eric Holloway
Date
April 17, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Transhumanism
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For BitHeaven’s Sake

A satirical short story on the transhumanist quest (and failure) to achieve immortality
Eric Holloway
April 17, 2023
7
Artificial Intelligence, Transhumanism

Bob and Sue were on their way to church one morning. On their way they ran into their friend Fred. Fred was very wealthy, a billionaire in fact. Fred waved hi. Bob and Sue waved back. They asked Fred to come with them to church.  Fred said no, he had more important things to do. “What is so important,” asked Sue. “I’m off to the real deal,” beamed Fred. Bob looked confused. “Real deal about what?” “You have a fake promise of eternal life. I’m about to get the real thing.” “You can’t be serious. Start talking some sense.” “Seriously. Here’s my voucher, see it right here.” Sue grabbed the piece of paper from Fred and read it aloud. “Good for one digital immortalization Read More ›

futuristic window
A room with round glass window overlooking beautiful landscape background . Hotel futuristic showroom with modern interior . Sublime Generative AI image .
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post
Author
Wesley J. Smith
Date
April 10, 2023
Categorized
Transhumanism
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Transhumanism’s Vain Search for Immortality

Transhumanism promotes its own defeat-of-death eschatology
Wesley J. Smith
April 10, 2023
2
Transhumanism

April 9th was Easter Sunday for the Western churches. Next Sunday, for Eastern Orthodox churches. For believing Christians, whether Eastern or Western, celebrating Christ’s Resurrection joyfully commemorates the permanent defeat of death and entrance into eternal life. Transhumanism, which is a quasi-religion that worships at the altar of technology, promotes its own defeat-of-death eschatology. Instead of the New Jerusalem for which Christians yearn, transhumanists hope to live indefinitely — if not forever — in the corporeal world through the wonders of AI and other human-invented methods of technologically defeating death. And it could be here by 2050! From the Daily Mail story: Despite the setback, that same year, a prominent futurist predicted that ‘electronic immortality’ would be available to humans by 2050. Dr Read More ›

nanobot
Cell repairing nanobot technology, illustration
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post
Author
News
Date
March 29, 2023
Categorized
Transhumanism
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Pre-order Immortality Now (It’s Only 8 Years Away, Apparently)

A Google engineer predicts the "singularity" is coming and that we should get on board
News
March 29, 2023
2
Transhumanism

Ray Kurzweil, a former Google engineer, thinks that humanity is a mere “eight years away” from achieving immortality. No, he’s not a spiritual leader predicting the eschaton. He’s not telling you to seek union with God and achieve immortality the old-fashioned way. He thinks we’ll be able to live forever via age-reversing “nanobots.” These “tiny robots” will correct damaged cells and make us immune to disease, thus leading to radically increased human longevity. Stacy Liberatore writes at Daily Mail, Now the former Google engineer believes technology is set to become so powerful it will help humans live forever, in what is known as the singularity. Singularity is a theoretical point when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence and changes the path Read More ›

hive mind
Artificial intelligence. Network in hive mind brain. Vintage futuristic poster.
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post
Author
News
Date
March 19, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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Is the “Singularity” Already Here?

Two experts in the tech field warn that the singularity, as we've come to imagine it, might be right around the corner
News
March 19, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

The singularity refers to the future point when the human and the machine will merge––when the personal and technological distinction breaks down entirely. It sounds dystopian and far off. But, two experts in the tech field warn that the singularity, as we’ve come to imagine it, is right upon us. Writing for The Conversation, John Kendall Hawkins and Sandy Boucher comment, To understand why this isn’t the stuff of fairy tales, we need only look as far as recent developments in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). BCIs are a natural beginning to the singularity in the eyes of many futurists, because they meld mind and machine in a way no other technology so far can. Elon Musk’s company Neuralink is seeking permission from the US Food Read More ›

book-drop-off-zone-stockpack-adobe-stock
Book drop-off zone
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post
Author
News
Date
March 1, 2023
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Arts & Culture
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Wesley J. Smith on Why You Should Read Dean Koontz

The bestselling novelist's work is both entertaining and profoundly insightful into our cultural moment
News
March 1, 2023
2
Arts & Culture

Wesley J. Smith, Chair of Discovery Institute’s Center for Human Exceptionalism, wrote an article praising the prolific literature of his friend Dean Koontz, whose books have sold more than 500 million copies worldwide. Smith finds Koontz both a unique writer and a remarkable person with a powerful story of redemption. Born in poverty in Pennsylvania under the hand of an abusive father, Koontz persevered and pursued novel writing with the help of his wife’s encouragement. The rest is history. Through daily discipline, keen research, and profound imagination, Koontz has written dozens of bestsellers. First and foremost, his books entertain and delight. In addition, however, they deliver their fair share of social commentary and critique. Much of his work explores the Read More ›

living forever
Sci-fi fantasy futuristic background art scifi artwork tech technology Architecture digital illustration art wallpaper future concept dystopia cyberpunk
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
February 15, 2023
Categorized
Transhumanism
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Humans Have Limits. Transhumanists Want to Overcome Them

The prophetic words of C.S. Lewis still strike home today
Peter Biles
February 15, 2023
4
Transhumanism

This article originally appeared as a blog post at Salvo on May 13th, 2022. C.S. Lewis wrote an apt and prophetic line in his book The Abolition of Man that feels even more prescient today: “There is something which unites magic and applied science while separating both from the wisdom of earlier ages. For the wise men of old the cardinal problem had been how to conform the soul to reality, and the solution had been knowledge, self-discipline, and virtue. For magic and applied science alike the problem is how to subdue reality to the wishes of men.” I think it’s safe to say that today, the world’s elites in government, tech, media, and education embody precisely the opposite of Lewis’s understanding Read More ›

living forever
Abstract image of Artificial Intelligence
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
January 27, 2023
Categorized
Transhumanism
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Do You Really Want to Live Forever?

Organizations like Altos Labs are funding research in cell rejuvenation and biological longevity
Peter Biles
January 27, 2023
4
Transhumanism

2023 is expected to yield “breakthrough” research in aging treatments, led by the Palo Alto medical company Altos Labs. Jeff Bezos is among the donors of the organization, which notes on its homepage that its mission is “to restore cell health and resilience through cellular rejuvenation programming to reverse disease, injury, and the disabilities that can occur throughout life.” A Wired article is optimistic about the direction of the research and compares its potential to the development of antibiotic treatment. Andrew Steele writes, In 2023, early success of these treatments could kickstart the greatest revolution in medicine since the discovery of antibiotics. Rather than going to the doctor when we’re sick and picking off age-related problems like cancer and dementia Read More ›

aerial-view-of-frankenstein-castle-in-southern-hesse-germany-stockpack-adobe-stock
Aerial view of Frankenstein Castle in southern Hesse, Germany
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
January 7, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Transhumanism
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The Prophecies of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Andrew Klavan explores the world of the Romantics in new book and finds special insight in Shelley’s classic horror story
Peter Biles
January 7, 2023
4
Arts & Culture, Transhumanism

Andrew Klavan, acclaimed novelist and host of the Andrew Klavan Show at the Daily Wire, wrote a book about his profound encounters with the Romantics of the 19th century, called The Truth and Beauty: How the Lives and Works of England’s Greatest Poets Point the Way to a Deeper Understanding of the Words of Jesus. The Romantics include literary figures like Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, and John Keats. While it’s common to highlight the Romantics’ veneration of nature, they were also living in the throes of the Enlightenment, in which atheistic materialism was becoming a minority alternative to theism. Klavan writes, “The wonderful success of science at explaining the material world threatens to create in scientists a bias towards Read More ›