Robotics Reference
In-Depth Information
I think I would baptize it. This is the whole issue: that we are
created in the image of God does not mean that God gave us intel-
ligence and all this kind of stuff. Like I have said above, very soon
we will be able to rebuild all of these features classically identified
with the image of God. Therefore, AI teaches us that the
Imago
Dei
should not be equalized with “intelligence,” “rationality,” or
“reason.” In my opinion,
Imago Dei
means that God, in creating
us, started a relationship with us, and separated us from the rest
of creation by starting and maintaining this relationship with us
but this separation is not because of some features we have. It is
not empirical but means trust and love between God and us. If
the
Imago Dei
is relational in that sense, then I have no trouble
thinking that Cog might have a relationship to God, too, at some
point. If it develops the way it does, then Cog will ask at some
point, “Where do I come from?” and “What is the meaning of my
life?” [19]
If robots are indeed to be endowed with whatever form of consciousness
is necessary for them to hold religious beliefs and to have religious expe-
riences, it will first be necessary to explore the scientific basis of religion
in humans, in order for this basis to be emulated. Cognitive scientists at
the University of California San Diego's Brain and Perception Laboratory
reported in 1997 that one part of the human brain, the temporal lobe,
is especially active during intense religious experiences. There are a va-
riety of techniques to study which parts of our brains are specialized for
different tasks and it is hardly considered news nowadays when scientists
locate specific brain regions that are especially active when we read words,
or solve equations, or listen to music. But finding a “religion region” in
the brain caught the attention of the media.
The findings of the UCSD team seem to point to a region of the
brain commonly referred to as the God Spot or God Module, which
when stimulated creates hallucinations that are interpreted as mystical
or spiritual experiences. This module is stimulated during meditation
and prayer and is affected by electromagnetic fields and epilepsy. The
resulting hallucinations may be the cause of mystical, spiritual and para-
normal experiences as they can give rise to feelings such as a presence in
the room or an out-of-body experience. In the case of epileptics, this
may be the reason for many of them becoming obsessed with religion.
For those who experience the stimulation it is often explained as being
related to their own personal beliefs: a visit from an angel or a lost loved
