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ROBOTS AND RITUALS:
Reflections on Faith in the Era of Science and AI
01
Welcome to Nexus
by Michael P. Murphy
Nexus: Conversations on the Catholic Intellectual Tradition is a digital-age journal that amplifies and publishes the scholarly dialogue taking place in the Hank Center—whether in symposia and conference proceedings or in the research of its several faculty working groups...
02
Volume Introduction
by Joe Vukov and Michael Burns
We find ourselves in an era of rapid technological progress. In the past year, new forms of artificial intelligence such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT have captured headlines and imaginations. Vehicles are sprinting towards autonomous operation...
03
Integrating the Inquirer:
A Jesuit Approach to Interdisciplinarity
by Adam D. Hincks, S.J.
New scientific discoveries and technological advances often raise ethical and religious questions, but exploring these disparate realms together is not always straightforward. The Society of Jesus, to which I belong, has a long history of engaging with new ideas in the culture...
04
The Science Beneath Belief
An Interview with David DeSteno
Dr. David DeSteno is a Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University. His academic research focuses on how emotion shapes social judgment, behavior, and decision making, including moral decisions...
05
Arguing for Good Faith
by Michael Burns
We live in an increasingly polarized society. This is not a natural trajectory. Rather, it is one driven by a global communication network that has, at its heart, artificial intelligence (AI) systems trained to maximize user engagement in pursuit of ad revenue...
06
Thy Power Throughout the Universe Displayed
by Pamela L. Gay
Being a total science nerd and a Christian is something I’ve come to realize isn’t exactly common. I wish I knew how to change that. I see in history and in our modern society all the things that got us to this weird social reality. I understand this reality, but I absolutely hate it...
07
Intelligence? Understanding? Wisdom?
by Br. Guy Consolmagno S.J.
"It’s a funny thing about artificial intelligence,” mused my friend Jerry. He’s an engineer who has worked for many years using neural network computing to develop systems that allow computers to speak in natural-sounding tones. “Whenever it actually comes up with something useful, they stop calling it artificial intelligence...”
08
Appleseeds to Apples:
Catholicism and The Next ChatGPT
An Interview with Blake Lemoine
Nexus issue editors Joe Vukov and Michael Burns sat down for an hour-long conversation with Blake Lemoine. Mr. Lemoine previously worked for Google as a researcher with expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) bias. He was eventually fired from Google...
09
Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence, and the Catholic View of Human Nature
by Joseph Vukov
In late 2022, ChatGPT showed up everywhere: in New York Times headlines; in YouTube videos; in theological conversations; in the policies of hand-wringing university administrators. In case you missed it, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI), a “chatbot” that produces text using machine-learning...
09
Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence, and the Catholic View of Human Nature
by Joseph Vukov
In late 2022, ChatGPT showed up everywhere: in New York Times headlines; in YouTube videos; in theological conversations; in the policies of hand-wringing university administrators. In case you missed it, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI), a “chatbot” that produces text using machine-learning...
09
Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence, and the Catholic View of Human Nature
by Joseph Vukov
In late 2022, ChatGPT showed up everywhere: in New York Times headlines; in YouTube videos; in theological conversations; in the policies of hand-wringing university administrators. In case you missed it, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI), a “chatbot” that produces text using machine-learning...
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10
Social Robots in Elderly Care
by Hille Haker
Insofar as AI systems are being developed for the medical care of people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, or in old age, three fields of application are frequently mentioned: care assistance, monitoring or surveillance, and social or therapeutic support. There are multiple social robots, also called care robots, currently on the market...
11
Apocalypse Now? Yes, Please:
Notes on Navigating the Digital Revolution
by Michael P. Murphy
In her 1924 essay “Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown,” Virginia Woolf famously observed that “On or about December, 1910 human nature changed. All human relations shifted.” Of course, there is some hyperbole here, but Woolf keenly observed a creeping cultural irruption...
12
Ad Astra Per Libros:
Further Reading in Science Fiction & Faith
by Susan Haarman
Whether the dialogue between science and faith is newer to you or part of your everyday work or meditations, reading science fiction is a great way stay in the conversation. Since its inception with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, science fiction has pushed readers to grapple with existential questions: what does it mean to be alive?...