Beatrice Institute Podcast

The liberal tradition frames the story of modernity as the gradual victory of freedom against state hegemony. Liberty, the consent of the people to be governed, and individual rights are the mainstay of western society. But are we really more free than before? What if freedom isn’t what we think?

For some, Ireland is the archetype of Christianity’s decline in the wake of modern secularization. But is it possible that there is a resurgence of theological and philosophical fervor in this traditionally Catholic country? Gaven Kerr, a lecturer in philosophy at St. Patrick's Pontifical University in Maynooth, Ireland, recently hosted a conference called "The Future of Christian Thinking." Gaven has a surprisingly optimistic, up-to-date, on-the-ground evaluation of Christianity's prospects in Ireland. In this episode, he and Ryan ask: What caused the loss of Irish Catholic identity? What role does Irish superstition and folklore play in the country’s Christian faith? In the world of head and heart, modernity and tradition, what is the future of Christian thought?

While we may think of phones and laptops when we hear the word “technology,” it can also be thought of as a way of viewing the world: the belief that knowledge of reality means the ability to predict, experiment, and transform it, and that nature is completely open to that process. But while this approach to the world and how we understand it makes us very good at solving problems, it also blinds us to an entire realm of thought. Science and technology can neither ask nor answer the “big” questions: what is a human being? What is a good life? Michael Hanby—professor, writer, and postliberal thinker—joins Grant to dig into some of those questions. Does technology as ontology serve human persons as a tool, or act upon them as objects? Can a Christian political order coexist with this worldview? In a time when technology has made it possible to change our very bodies in ways that would have been unimaginable to previous generations, are we less human than before?

Of the many hopes that society hangs on artificial intelligence, one is its potential to clean up the results of human messiness. Whether on a large scale (solving climate change, reducing war crimes through use of autonomous weapons) or on an individual one (sex robots for isolated people), AI promises to sidestep the problems caused by human limitations.  But in making computers to solve ethical dilemmas and robots to enter relationships, are we creating something in our own image? Is it possible to separate intelligence or emotion from the body? Would the result live up to its promise, or simply be monstrous? Noreen Herzfeld, who teaches both computer science and theology, has spent a lot of time reflecting on these issues. She and Gretchen discuss the many questions that arise from that contemplation. Why is it so important to us to seek other forms of sentience—whether robots, pets, or even alien life? If AI fulfills the role of other persons in our life, can it become our “neighbor?” How does the way we treat and think about AI impact our relationships with other humans, for better or for worse?

One of modernity’s many attributes is its ingratitude towards the past. Both through forgetfulness of pre-modern thought and ways of being (whether intentional or accidental), and also by reconfiguring pre-modern narratives to make them palatable to modern minds, a rupture is created between past and present. But what if these reconfigured or “misremembered” discourses in fact embody thoughts and ideas long dead and forgotten? This is one of many intriguing ideas presented by Cyril O’Regan, theologian at Notre Dame University. By revealing the ways that Hegel, Blake, and others have adapted and distorted Christian doctrine through Gnostic lenses, he works to unveil “doppleganger” forms of Christianity that leave modern minds too comfortable, forcing us to the intellectual honesty of confronting ourselves as sinners in a world created by a God who is benevolent, but far beyond our comprehension. Using the metaphors of anatomy, haunting, and genealogical battles, Cyril and Ryan engage in a conversation ranging from poetry to ancestry to children’s literature, helping to illumine some of the places obscured by the shadow of abandoned heresies and forgetfulness.

Anne Carpenter joins Ryan to discuss the intersection of history, tradition, art, and theology. What is the difference between ressourcement and genealogy? Are art and theology the same thing? What can video games teach us about theology? How can everyday Christians contribute to renewing the theological tradition? Anne is associate professor of theology at St. Mary's College of California and has recently published Nothing Gained Is Eternal: A Theology of Tradition with Fortress Press.

Innovation is often seen as key to modern society. Whether in pursuit of economic growth, more convenience in daily life, or simply greater well-being, the pursuit of the new and better ideas and technology is always underway. But what if the key to human flourishing doesn’t lie in the search for the new, but rather in maintenance of what we already have? Could the endless pursuit of innovation as a goal in itself is actually causing us harm? Lee Vinsel, co-author of The Innovation Delusion and founder of the Maintainers, explains the costs of this pursuit and the hold that innovation-speak has exacted on our society.From climate change to crumbling infrastructure, he and Grant discuss how maintenance rather than novelty might be the key to a more sustainable life, and how understanding and prioritizing the needs and well-being of human persons can lead to a more functional, beautiful world.

In this episode, Ryan sits down with Madhavi Nevader and T.J. Lang, both biblical scholars at St. Andrew’s School of Divinity in Scotland. In a conversation that roams from the Tower of Babel to journey of the apostle Paul to the third heaven, they discuss how the understanding of God’s identity—as Yahweh in the Hebrew Bible, as Jesus the divine man, as multiple Persons who are yet one—has unfolded in time.  From unpacking the many conceptions of God in the Old Testament, to the scandal of Jesus’s claims to oneness with the Father, to the fruitful give-and-take between Greek philosophy and early Christian metaphysics, they contemplate the nature of tradition and the way that historical and geographical forces shape it. Modern scholarship, archaeological science, and the ambiguities of translation all become tools to gain a deeper understanding of the revelation of who God is and His relationship to His people.

For much of middle class America, 401ks are seen as good stewardship, and wise investing in the stock market as a way of attaining financial goods for oneself and the economy at large. But do these things we take for granted contribute to the overall good of the human person and society?  Jacob Imam, economist and executive director of New Polity, argues that not only are these things not necessary to a healthy economy, but that we should question whether stock ownership has any role to play in Christian life. Beginning with the example of medieval economic relationships, he and Grant discuss the difference between investment and speculation; the relationship between work and ownership; and how investment, properly understood, might dignify the labor of our neighbors rather than simply profiting from the work of others.  How would the way we invest have to change to bring us closer together and build the Kingdom God? Is retirement part of God’s plan for the human person? Listen in as Jacob and Grant discuss these and other challenging questions. 

The prophet Isaiah speaks of the foolishness of those who bow down to the work of their own hands, idols made of wood that cannot speak and have no power of their own. And yet the irony of idolatry is that idols come to have a strange power over us and our actions. John Wyatt of the Faraday Institute sees this biblical image of the idol as a powerful lens for assessing the spiritual, ethical, and philosophical repercussions of AI. Although AI is developed with the goal of helping mankind shape a better future, in many ways it is us who are changed by the technology we’ve created. From children forming relationships with analogous persons like Siri and Alexa, to engineers who believe that programs can become sentient, to people who prefer interacting with chatbots over human relationships—in these and many other ways, we are only beginning to feel the impact of AI on the human person. John and Gretchen discuss these issues and more, and bring up important questions that Christians must ask in the age of AI. If we are image bearers created in the likeness of God, is mankind then making AI in its own image? How do we respond to the desire to “upgrade” humanity in light of the Incarnation and Resurrection?