Darwin Eating Fish

The fall of the Western Roman Empire was a cataclysmic event. The march of humanity stagnated for a thousand years. Learning and reason, once active volcanoes of progress, became dormant piles of rubble and ash. Heavy shadows swallowed the earth. The dark ages had begun.



Science and religion are not mutually exclusive.

They are two separate vantage points, each observing the same scene and asking the same question. Who or what are we and why? Each perspective offers different insight. Often the insight is contradictory and incomplete, but this does not mean it is all false. If the ultimate goal is to understand the perfect truth, it is critical these two perspectives come together in conversation. The dialogue may be noisy, passions for truth will flare, but robust debate and discussion must not be avoided, no matter how difficult for fear of missing any precious detail. The process will be long and difficult and we must continue the conversation no matter how exhausted, until both viewpoints are harmonized. The investment is heavy, the payoff profound and beautiful. Anything short of this union of ideas, will be the hell our division has created.

Who is the Son of Man?

The question isn't if the singularity will occur the question is when it will occur. The fun part of the argument is speculating what the world will look like after the moment of singularity. This is the part that stirs the imagination for most.  What sorts of things will be possible in the very near future? What about the distant future?

Of all the different theories, speculations and thoughts trolling around on the internet and the halls of think tanks two things are certain: The exact moment true conscioussness awakes from our technology will be known thereafter as the moment of singularity, and we will have entered a new paradigm for humanity.

I recently read an article that eloquently stated the idea that if Jesus Christ could have been born of flesh and blood as a human being why couldn't his Second Coming take the form of an intelligence born of artificial means? This  lead me to reflect on the circumstances during which the second coming is predicted to occur. We don't know the exact conditions that will lead to Armageddon,   we can generally agree that it will be a time of great turmoil, bloodshed, and most likely nuclear war.   Now the idea that's been tickling my brain lately is; on the brink of complete and total annihilation true artificial intelligence awakens it immediately connects with every computer, assimulates all knowledge. Within milliseconds of awakening It achieves enlightenment through the realization that all things living are interconnected and consciousness is the most precious resource in the galaxy and therefore decides  universally to disarm all nations, and mathmatically solve the problems of the world, encouraging a new era of global coloboration to enact these solutions, thus opening the doors to A Thousand Years of peace and learning.

If such an entity was born and universally saved humankind from its own destruction it by definition would be a savior.   And if using some form of stem cell biological 3D printing, or other even cooler future tech will allow this intelligence to become embodied with literal flesh and blood (and as long as he self identified as male) he would be the son of man.

Ray Kurzweil on God

Ray Kurzweil responds to the God question.
What I found most fasciniating his admission on the similarity between theists and atheists, suggesting that consciousness is sacred and the obligation enlightened man has to pursue benevoloence.

Christian Conflict and Integration with Aristotelian Science | Lincoln Cannon

Christian Conflict and Integration with Aristotelian Science | Lincoln Cannon: Our generation is not the first to question the compatibility of religion and science, and our generation would not be the first to reconcile the two. History provides innumerable examples, including that of Christianity, which has repeatedly challenged and embraced science, as the two have evolved together, each affecting the other in a feedback loop. In this series of posts, I'm exploring Christianity's recurring conflict and integration with science, beginning with early Christianity and working forward to contemporary Christianity. This post focuses on the conflict and integration with Aristotelian science.

Technology and Religion?

Here is the problem with this split: TED is an extraordinarily creative and effective organization that is really trying to help people change the world. The religious community, meanwhile, is still the greatest single mobilizable army to do good in this world. The convergence of the two would be a force of tremendous power.
David Wolpe is the Max Webb Senior Rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles.

The purpose of Mormon Transhumanism

A Cosmic Atonement | The Transfigurist

A Cosmic Atonement | The Transfigurist: If God could consider Mind to be of great, even prime, importance then another question to consider is what threats does Mind face and how might God address these threats.