Imagine dining at a restaurant. The waiter delivers his food. The patron gets up for a moment to thank the cook. Meanwhile, another person rushes over, occupies the table, and refuses to leave. The patron registers shock and then anger. However, the occupier, enjoying the food, claims it is his human right. … Read more
Shoppers have long been told of the advantages of self-checkout. It is supposed to help them avoid lines and make purchasing faster and more convenient. For decades, retailers have installed scanning machines everywhere to get everyone on board with automation. Now, retailers are feeling the backlash of consumers who have had enough … Read more
The book, The Revolt Against Humanity: Imagining a Future Without Us, does not make a very good first impression. One reason is that the 2023 work is an awfully small book to deal with such a monumental subject as human extinction. The elimination of humanity should merit something more than a mere … Read more
Before modernity, Christianity guided individuals to live according to human nature and the moral law established by the Creator. This system allowed families and societies to prosper and helped people in their quest for sanctification and the final destination of heaven. The eighteenth-century Enlightenment threw everything into darkness. People claimed they could … Read more
The age of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is coming. The oracles of this future are warning of a major paradigm shift. Usually, such messages can be taken with a grain of salt as they often touch on science fiction. However, the recent book, The Age of AI and Our Human Future, is different. … Read more
In Paris, a pizzeria without a pizza chef has opened. There is not even a cashier or a waiter. Instead, there is a robot. Everything is automated. The reviews are enthusiastic: “Fantastic!”, “Incredible!”. They sound just like the comments of a group of children seeing an amazing new sophisticated toy. In reality, … Read more
As more things move online, I notice that relationships are becoming increasingly impersonal. We don’t realize what we are doing in our rush to communicate with others. We don’t see how these virtual encounters can often be rude and brusque. Offended parties feel helpless to respond. I have often felt this way … Read more
The classic philosophical definition of a person is “an individual substance of a rational nature.” A person possesses a center point of being, autonomy and self-sufficiency, which irrational beings do not have. To be a person, one must have a nature capable of self-consciousness, self-possession and self-control. Definitions like this have long … Read more
Dostoevsky once said, “If God didn’t exist, everything is possible.” There is wisdom in his observation since, without God, there would be nothing to serve as the ultimate reference for human acts. The eternal law that God established in the universe is inscribed on the human heart. Thus, everyone at all times … Read more
From time immemorial, people have buried the dead. Sometimes they even risked their lives to carry out this most basic duty. In times of persecution, for example, Christians put themselves in great danger to recover the bodies of martyrs so that they might receive the holy rites of Christian burial. The Old … Read more