Personhood and Creation in an Age of Robots and Ai: Can We Say “You” to Artifacts?

This article explores the extent to which the I-You relation should be applied to domains other than the human and the divine focusing particularly on artifacts and technology. Drawing first on the work of Martin Buber, Gabriel Marcel, and Martin Heidegger, I contend that the I-You tradition has mai...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zygon
Main Author: Burdett, Michael S. 1981- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell [2020]
In: Zygon
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Robot / Artificial intelligence / I-you relationship / Panpsychism / Post-humanism
RelBib Classification:AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism
AD Sociology of religion; religious policy
AE Psychology of religion
VA Philosophy
Further subjects:B Creation
B Technology
B I and Thou
B Panpsychism
B Personalism
B Martin Heidegger
B Posthumanism
B Gabriel Marcel
B Martin Buber
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Description
Summary:This article explores the extent to which the I-You relation should be applied to domains other than the human and the divine focusing particularly on artifacts and technology. Drawing first on the work of Martin Buber, Gabriel Marcel, and Martin Heidegger, I contend that the I-You tradition has maintained I-You relations with objects are possible even when these same figures level strong critiques of the I-It relation. I extend these discussions and argue that some kind of You-speaking for artifacts is needed to combat rampant consumption and reduction of the world to pure utility. But, I equally suggest that there are limitations to applying the I-You relation to artifacts precisely when doing so keeps us from having genuine relationships with other people as outlined by psychologist Sherry Turkle. Finally, I outline how this proposal impacts the doctrine of creation. In sum, it expands our intuitions of what is included in that doctrine creation.
ISSN:1467-9744
Contains:Enthalten in: Zygon
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/zygo.12595