MIT Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

AI and Theology: From Mythos to Logos and Back

Anne Foerst
Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT AI Lab and Harvard Divinity School

Monday, September 29, 1997
4:00 PM (refreshments 3:45)
Edgerton Hall, Room 34-101
EECS Colloquium

Abstract

The dialogue between religion and science usually takes place within one of four forms of interaction: researchers create CONFLICT and antagonism, stay apart from one another in CONTRAST, create CONTACT and exchange, or search for mutual CONFIRMATION.

In my talk, I will at first look at the relationship between theology and AI and show the limits of each of these four argument strategies. I will then introduce the Platonic dichotomy between "mythos" and "logos" as two equally valid and mutually indispensable types of speech which we use to describe reality. This distinction holds promise for a dialogue between theology and AI. Based on the work of Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno and their analysis of Enlightenment, I will outline the extent to which both mythos and logos can be found in AI.

I will focus especially on the AI-specific interplay of observer and observed. The boundary between the two cannot be upheld when the observed is the human mind and reasoning process. I will analyze this interaction in the context of Horkheimer's and Adorno's critical theory and in the context of current religion and science discussions and show where an element of mythos sometimes finds its way into this process. Finally, I will explore the ways in which theology can help AI researchers understand better the mythos they bring to their basic research and show ways to liberate their research from it.