Test Tube Tantra

4. Tantric philosophy | Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence

Today we pick up on a series of five posts where I put the ancient Tantric wisdom called Kashmir Shaivism into conversation with other traditions. So far, we’ve looked at this tradition and its possible connections to Christianity, to the Shakta religion of north-east India, and to the contemporary moral question of suffering.

Today we’re going to investigate connections with technology and science, and next week we finish the series with its relationship to Buddhism.

Possibly the biggest topic in technology and science today is artificial intelligence. Our response to it has been wildly divergent, from extreme fear to implausible optimism. It’s either going to destroy our lives and take our jobs or it’s going to propel us into a new age of unimaginable human creativity and productivity.

What is going on in these debates?

For me, the core issue is not that we don’t understand the technology. It is that we don’t understand ourselves.

And into that gap creeps fear. The threat we feel from AI…