Can AI Be Our Neighbor? with Noreen Herzfeld

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?

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Is Modernity Haunted by Gnostic Ghosts? with Cyril O'Regan

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.

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How Does Tradition Work? with Anne Carpenter

Anne Carpenter’s latest book, Nothing Gained Is Eternal, was published last month with Fortress Press. In anticipation of the virtual reading group Beatrice Institute is hosting, we are re-releasing her conversation with Ryan on the intersection of history, tradition, art, and theology.

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The End of Innovation with Lee Vinsel

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.

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