Projects / Programmes
Creatures, Humans, Robots: Creation Theology Between Humanism and Posthumanism
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.11.00 |
Humanities |
Theology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H002 |
Humanities |
Theology |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.03 |
Humanities |
Philosophy, Ethics and Religion |
Creation Theology, Artificial Intelligence, Theology of technology, Technoculture, Theological Anthropology, Posthumanism
Researchers (10)
Organisations (2)
Abstract
The original project Creatures, Humans, Robots: Creation Theology Between Humanism and Posthumanism addresses a culturally very relevant topic: human-machine relationships, especially the relationship between humans and humanlike Artificially Intelligent robots of the present and the future. Most work in the young field of theology of new technologies has focussed on the philosophy of transhumanism, while there has been very little theological engagement with increasingly influential posthumanism, the radically embodied and (largely) materialist philosophy which posits the cyborg (combined or merged human-machine) as the new (post)human being of the future and rejects some of the basic presuppositions of humanism. This project will address this lacuna in scholarship in a ground-breaking way: it will explore and develop new theological responses to the posthumanist challenge with an aim to develop fresh, constructive theology of humanlike artificial intelligence (AI). Its will combine the subdisciplines of theological anthropology, theology of technology, Creation theology, eco-theology, and theology of culture, and philosophy. The perspectives developed will be mostly Christian (ortodox, liberal and postmodern), but it will also examine – and, where appropriate, further develop – pantheist and animist perspectives on posthumanism and the AI-robotics. Some of the main questions the project will address are: Can the traditional/mainstream Christian theological notions of human uniqueness or distinctiveness be maintained in the face of these developments, or should they be abandoned or radically reinterpreted/reformed? Is there/should there be a Christian theology of posthumanism, or even posthumanist theology? Do ‘green’ and ‘creaturely’ theologies offer better hermeneutical starting points for interpreting human-machine relationships than the traditional Christian imago Dei anthropologies? Do pantheist and/or animist environmental philosophies and/or creation theologies offer more appropriate and theoretically more successful conceptual frameworks or resources to address this challenge? In order to develop a constructive theological interpretation of the actual and probable future developments of humanlike AI, robotics and human-machine relationships, the project will also engage with posthumanist popular culture and art (science fiction). The end result will be modern versions of Creation theology in the light of the posthumanist, feminist and eco-theological critique of the traditional humanism and Creation theology, developed comparatively and in conversation with one another.
Significance for science
The project Creatures, Humans, Robots: Creation Theology Between Humanism and Posthumanism will be highly relevant and break new scientific ground in several (related) subdisciplines of contemporary theology. Its original contributions to theology will consist in the following:
- - The research will fill a notable gap in theology of new technologies, namely a lack of in-depth engagement with posthumanism, a culturally very important philosophical vision of human-machine relationships
- - The research will develop constructive theology of humanlike Artificial Intelligence and robotics in a comparative way, in form of a scholarly dialogue between different religious-theological positions: Christian (traditional, liberal and postmodern), pantheist and animist. So far, comparative theology and theology of technology have almost not been put into a scholarly conversation at all
- - It will develop further theological engagement with the increasingly influential popular culture (posthumanist science fiction)
- - Uniquely, the project will bring to bear very different theological and philosophical backgrounds on the main research questions of the project, i.e. how to theologically interpret humanlike AI-robotics and respond to posthumanism. Those backgrounds have already been well developed by individual researchers on the project - in short: Liberal Protestant theology of creation (G. Andrejč), a modern mainstream Christian theology of technology (N. Herzfeld), ecofeminist theology of nature (N. Furlan Štante), an postsecular ecophilosophy of the body (L. Škof), a philosophy of posthumanist religious fiction (C. Kersten), and the philosophy and biopolitics in modern technology and the media (P. Tratnik).
- - By producing three monographs with reputable academic publishers (two international), at least nine articles in peer-reviewed journals, and a special issue (edited volume) of a major theology & religious studies journal, it will constitute a major contribution to the young field of theology of technology and set the agenda for the research in the field for years to come
Significance for the country
The project Creatures, Humans, Robots: Creation Theology Between Humanism and Posthumanism will be highly relevant and break new scientific ground in several (related) subdisciplines of contemporary theology. Its original contributions to theology will consist in the following:
- - The research will fill a notable gap in theology of new technologies, namely a lack of in-depth engagement with posthumanism, a culturally very important philosophical vision of human-machine relationships
- - The research will develop constructive theology of humanlike Artificial Intelligence and robotics in a comparative way, in form of a scholarly dialogue between different religious-theological positions: Christian (traditional, liberal and postmodern), pantheist and animist. So far, comparative theology and theology of technology have almost not been put into a scholarly conversation at all
- - It will develop further theological engagement with the increasingly influential popular culture (posthumanist science fiction)
- - Uniquely, the project will bring to bear very different theological and philosophical backgrounds on the main research questions of the project, i.e. how to theologically interpret humanlike AI-robotics and respond to posthumanism. Those backgrounds have already been well developed by individual researchers on the project - in short: Liberal Protestant theology of creation (G. Andrejč), a modern mainstream Christian theology of technology (N. Herzfeld), ecofeminist theology of nature (N. Furlan Štante), an postsecular ecophilosophy of the body (L. Škof), a philosophy of posthumanist religious fiction (C. Kersten), and the philosophy and biopolitics in modern technology and the media (P. Tratnik).
- - By producing three monographs with reputable academic publishers (two international), at least nine articles in peer-reviewed journals, and a special issue (edited volume) of a major theology & religious studies journal, it will constitute a major contribution to the young field of theology of technology and set the agenda for the research in the field for years to come
Most important scientific results
Interim report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
