Comment by nathanh4903 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by nathanh4903 | Hacker News Reader

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In Christian theology/philosophy, humanity is generally not defined by our intelligence, consciousness, or the ability to act a certain way. Most theologians through out history and different theological traditions all root human value in the concept of imago dei (that humans are divine images of God, and which God has became one, thus further bringing humans into union with God). Thus, machines becoming smarter or more conscious than us has no relevance to the ontological category of humanity, just as someone's IQ or productivity or age has no relevance to whether they should be considered fully human. Lastly, coming from a Christian point of view, I would also slightly push back on the strong separation between practical and spiritual problems. Humans are intrinsically both body and mind, flesh and spirit, so anything practical affects us spiritually, and anything spiritual affect us practically. The Bible has a whole book recording the job loss of some guy (along with many other suffering), and the theological/spiritual implication of such matter.

Appreciate the answer, but then I have some questions:

So, according to that theory, god could substantiate again, this time into an "imago dei computer", giving the computer "machinity"?

A computer that is god, makes divine stuff and is, for example, at one point unplugged, but comes online miraculously three days after, etc?

That would be Jesus-like, but we could posit an Eve/Adam-like computer, would that be imago dei too?

Has god become only human, or has it become other animals, plants, or things?

Not trying to be facetious, just unable to follow some thinking when it would involve observable miracles on earth.

Mainstream Christian thought has only permitted humans to be imago dei.

Animals, plants, and objects made by humans, like computers, certainly do not qualify.

There is the open question of extraterrestrial lifeforms, however. Ray Bradbury's short story, "The Man" is imo the best "treatise" on this idea.

Not facetious at all, its an interesting question I never thought about.

In principle I can't think of anything preventing God from making another specie (or thing) also bearing the image of God. Perhaps God has did this already.

I think perhaps God can also become other things. While the idea that God incarnating as a GPU die sound really weird, I also can't think of anything making this impossible. However, my post was claiming that human's special status (not necessarily uniqueness) derives from the imago dei, not intelligence. Thus, I don't think God has any special reason to become a computer just because they have become really smart. God didn't become a human because we are intelligent, so if God is going to incarnate again I don't see any reason to be a computer as opposed to anything else.

And you're right that Christianity does make some weird claims. A theology based on the incarnation has to be weird, but to christians thats probably more of a feature than a bug. Afterall, observing a miracle is weird. However, the claims of Christianity is also very specific. Thus, it leaves a lot of possibilities open.

I did a bit of research and found this interesting declaration from an ecumenical council basically claiming God has not and will not incarnate a second time as some non-human thing:

> If anyone shall say that Christ, of whom it is said that he appeared in the form of God, and that he was united before all time with God the Word, and humbled himself in these last days even to humanity, had (according to their expression) pity upon the various falls which had appeared in the spirits united in the same unity (of which he himself is part), and that to restore them he passed through various classes, had different bodies and different names, became all to all, an Angel among Angels, a Power among Powers, has clothed himself in the different classes of reasonable beings with a form corresponding to that class, and finally has taken flesh and blood like ours and has become man for men; [if anyone says all this] and does not profess that God the Word humbled himself and became man: let him be anathema. [1]

I think this is binding to Catholic and Eastern Orthodox believers. However, I'm not familiar with the context of this ecumencial council, and I assume this declaration is probably not pushing back against the possibility of silicon Jesus or alien Jesus, since its targeting extreme Origenism (a group of non-orthodox Christians )

[1] https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3812.htm

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