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We Are As Gods
I’ve been reading a fascinating book, “God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning”, written by Meghan O’Gieblyn. Technically, I’ve been listening to it on Audible. It’s a fascinating book which covers, among its pages, the subject of consciousness, intelligence (including artificial intelligence), physics, the singularity, the soul, and other fun stuff. It also draws many parallels to religion. I haven’t finished the book yet and am still only halfway through it. It’s a well written and thought-provoking philosophical exploration. It is also, to some degree, what has led me to these thoughts today.
The idea of humans as gods, whether as individuals or as a collective, isn’t new. We’ve been telling these stories for a long time. The title of Meghan’s book includes the word “metaphor,” after all. Granted, I have grown up in a part of the world largely defined by Christian beliefs and myths. I won’t debate here on whether this is good or bad, but there’s no question that the society in which I have grown up is defined by this history. Consequently, the metaphors and allegories that come with that history are bound to intersect with every part of this world, including technology.
Despite my appreciation for the book, it does bother me that the author sees Christian parallels everywhere. She, like me, has grown up in a world that has largely been shaped by…
