Just consider how people—especially young people—use their technological devices. They do not know how a cell phone actually functions, what it’s made of, how to construct one, and, in many cases, how programming works. No, it’s a magical device made by wizards in Silicon Valley and sweatshops in Asia. AI is but another ethereal entity, perhaps like demons and fairies of yore, and what are robots but a new variation on the homunculus and golem? Who knows when such entities might decide to unexpectedly bless you or bring down cursed mischief upon you, just like the old fairy tales?
As others have noted, we are growing more and more accustomed to sharing our world with “intelligent” beings that are not human and also not God, angels, or even demons. We are re-entering the worldview of the medieval peasant just because of what has been unleashed with our full-throttle technological innovation, our weaponized distraction, and our haughty abandonment of old paths. We cannot do elementary math or read a book, but we’re an “advanced civilization,” you see.
This is the lie that we tell ourselves. That should bother us a lot. And if you think that an uneducated populace has big political and social consequences, you’d be right.
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St. Jude's Anglican Church
We are a parish of the Reformed Episcopal Church. We have been worshiping together in the greater Richmond area for over a decade. We’d love to have you join us for Christian worship in the rich Anglican tradition.
