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Life Worth Living is an initiative of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School.
Univ of Crete
A Life Worth Living in a World of Artificial Intelligence
Maria Kasmirli is a postdoctoral researcher in philosophy at the University of Crete and a teacher at the School of European Education Heraklion, Greece.
“How, then, shall we live?” Tolstoy’s question poses a special challenge today, when our lives are increasingly dependent on new and extremely powerful forms of artificial intelligence (AI), which mediate and control our work, recreation, social interaction, and personal relationships. How does one live a life worth living in such a world?
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Course Description:
How, then, shall we live?” Tolstoy’s question poses a special challenge today, when our lives are increasingly dependent on new and extremely powerful forms of artificial intelligence (AI), which mediate and control our work, recreation, social interaction, and personal relationships. How does one live a life worth living in such a world?
We will examine classic texts about existential meaning, exploring various answers to Tolstoy’s question, and asking how proposed visions of the good life might be realised in the modern technological world. How do we find the golden mean in a world where social media fosters extremism? How do we live authentically in a world of superficiality and ostentation? How do we develop as rational beings in a world awash with misinformation? Do mystical experiences and meditation have a place in a materialistic world? Should we reject new technology in search of a freer life?
Class Topics Include:
What is flourishing, both for creatures in general and for humans specifically?
Is practising benevolence (ren) and fostering harmonious relationships (Confucius) the key to flourishing? Does flourishing involve living in accordance with the Dao and embracing natural spontaneity (Zhuang Zi)? Will new technology make these lifestyles easier or harder to live?
What role does participation in public life play in a flourishing life (Hannah Arendt)? Can resisting oppression and cultivating love and community help us flourish (bell hooks)? Will new technology make it easier or harder for us to do this?
What contribution to human flourishing is made by anomalous states of mind, such as mystical, psychedelic, and near-death experiences? Will new technologies promote or hinder such effects?
How do we deal with failures in our attempt to live a flourishing life?
Sample of Course Readings:
Bostrom, N. (2017). Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies (Reprinted with corrections). Oxford University Press.
Epshṭain, I. (1990). Judaism: A Historical Presentation (Reprint). Penguin Books.
Hall, E. (2020). Aristotle’s Way: How Ancient Wisdom Can Change Your Life. Penguin Books.
Keene, D., & Birch, C. (Eds.). (2007). Anthology of Chinese Literature. Vol. 1., From Early Times to the Fourteenth Century. Grove Press.
Mascaró, J. (Ed.). (1973). The Dhammapada: The Path of Perfection. Penguin.
Mitchell, M. (2019). Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans (First edition). Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Tolstoy, L. (1940). A Confession, the Gospel in Brief, and What I Believe. (A. Maude, Trans.). Oxford University Press, H. Milford.
Zimmermann, J. (Ed.). (2023). Human Flourishing in a Technological World: A Theological Perspective. Oxford University Press.
Course Description:
How, then, shall we live?” Tolstoy’s question poses a special challenge today, when our lives are increasingly dependent on new and extremely powerful forms of artificial intelligence (AI), which mediate and control our work, recreation, social interaction, and personal relationships. How does one live a life worth living in such a world?
We will examine classic texts about existential meaning, exploring various answers to Tolstoy’s question, and asking how proposed visions of the good life might be realised in the modern technological world. How do we find the golden mean in a world where social media fosters extremism? How do we live authentically in a world of superficiality and ostentation? How do we develop as rational beings in a world awash with misinformation? Do mystical experiences and meditation have a place in a materialistic world? Should we reject new technology in search of a freer life?
Class Topics Include:
What is flourishing, both for creatures in general and for humans specifically?
Is practising benevolence (ren) and fostering harmonious relationships (Confucius) the key to flourishing? Does flourishing involve living in accordance with the Dao and embracing natural spontaneity (Zhuang Zi)? Will new technology make these lifestyles easier or harder to live?
What role does participation in public life play in a flourishing life (Hannah Arendt)? Can resisting oppression and cultivating love and community help us flourish (bell hooks)? Will new technology make it easier or harder for us to do this?
What contribution to human flourishing is made by anomalous states of mind, such as mystical, psychedelic, and near-death experiences? Will new technologies promote or hinder such effects?
How do we deal with failures in our attempt to live a flourishing life?
Sample of Course Readings:
Bostrom, N. (2017). Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies (Reprinted with corrections). Oxford University Press.
Epshṭain, I. (1990). Judaism: A Historical Presentation (Reprint). Penguin Books.
Hall, E. (2020). Aristotle’s Way: How Ancient Wisdom Can Change Your Life. Penguin Books.
Keene, D., & Birch, C. (Eds.). (2007). Anthology of Chinese Literature. Vol. 1., From Early Times to the Fourteenth Century. Grove Press.
Mascaró, J. (Ed.). (1973). The Dhammapada: The Path of Perfection. Penguin.
Mitchell, M. (2019). Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans (First edition). Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Tolstoy, L. (1940). A Confession, the Gospel in Brief, and What I Believe. (A. Maude, Trans.). Oxford University Press, H. Milford.
Zimmermann, J. (Ed.). (2023). Human Flourishing in a Technological World: A Theological Perspective. Oxford University Press.
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