Show Notes
There is increasing speculation and concern about the role of AI in the future of the arts. Surprisingly, many Christians are already embracing the use of AI to produce images of the saints. In this episode, Thomas and Susannah Black Roberts make the argument for why AI art is a contradiction in terms. It is analogous to pornography in that it scratches the itch to "create" without actually achieving the object of the desire in question. We should not use technology to replace the human specialties: "God won't accept worship that we outsource." Plus, the danger of demonic influence through AI should not be overlooked. Susannah Black Roberts is a senior editor of Plough and has written for publications including First Things, Fare Forward, Front Porch Republic, Mere Orthodoxy, and The American Conservative. Links Susannah's thread on Twitter https://x.com/suzania/status/1866516737057083862 Plough Quarterly https://www.plough.com/ PloughCast 66: The Technology of Demons w/ Paul Kingsnorth https://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/technology/the-technology-of-demons David Schaengold, "Computers Can't Do Math" https://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/technology/computers-cant-do-math Robert Cotton, "Augustine, AI, and the Demon Heuristic" https://mereorthodoxy.com/augustine-ai-and-the-demon-heuristic The Anchored Argosy https://argosy.substack.com/ DONATE to make this show possible! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters
More from The Catholic Culture Podcast
Thomas Mirus and Eamonn Clark discuss a statement they co-authored for Catholic Culture called the Pledge Against AI Catholic Content and Text (PAACCT). The pledge has been signed by a prominent Catholic writers, thinkers, and artists. Links PAACCT https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/pledge-against-ai-catholic-content-and-text-paacct/ Eamonn's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@eamonnclark Subscribe to Alto using discount code CATHOLIC10: https://ascension-press.linkjolt.io/l/catholic-culture-podcast DONATE to make this show possible! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters
Timothy Flanders rejoins the podcast for a freewheeling conversation in which he and Thomas interview each other. Timothy talks about his upcoming book on Catholicism in Russia, and then Thomas gives his thoughts on the place of jazz in the Western music tradition, improvisation as an analogy to the moral life, and the fundamental problem with AI music: AI has no song in its heart. Links The Meaning of Catholic https://meaningofcath.substack.com/ Thomas's lecture on God's role in artistic inspiration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH5KBsOIz_Y Structure and Freedom in Music and in Christ, w/ Mark Christopher Brandt https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-33-structure-and-freedom-in-music-and-in-christ-mark-christopher-brandt/ Christians against AI art, w/ Susannah Black Roberts https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/188-christians-against-ai-art-susannah-black-roberts/ DONATE to make this show possible! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters
Thomas Mirus's keynote address at the first annual conference of the Thomistic Artists Guild, on May 30 at the parish of St. Vitus in Los Angeles, CA. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH5KBsOIz_Y Thomistic Artists Guild: https://thomisticartistsguild.org/ DONATE at http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter http://www.catholicculture.org/newsletter
Groundbreaking Catholic political thinker Andrew Willard Jones joins the podcast to discuss a brilliant lecture he recently gave at the New Polity Conference. St. Thomas Aquinas is often said (dismissively) to have gotten his view of woman from Aristotle's biology. But while he did accept some of Aristotle's biological errors, they disagree on something far more fundamental, namely their metaphysical interpretation of difference and inequality among human beings. A comparison between the Aristotelian view and the Christian/Thomistic view of inequality is profoundly instructive for how we see not only the difference between the sexes, but civil society and the entire cosmic hierarchy willed by God. LINKS New Polity https://newpolity.com/ Andrew Willard Jones, The Two Cities: A History of Christian Politics https://stpaulcenter.com/store/the-two-cities-a-history-of-christian-politics Episode transcript https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/hierarchy-and-woman-aristotle-vs-aquinas-w-andrew-willard-jones/ DONATE to make this show possible! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters
Ralph Martin returns to the podcast to discuss his new book, The Coming Judgment: Are We Ready? He and Thomas discuss the lack of a Scriptural worldview among many present-day Catholics, and the reluctance of many to believe in or preach what the Church has always believed hell, the urgent need for repentance, and the judgments of God. Links Ralph Martin, The Coming Judgment: Are We Ready? stpaulcenter.com/thecomingjudgment Thomas Mirus, "Bring back 'negative spirituality'" https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/bring-back-negative-spirituality/ Eamonn Clark, "The Revenge of Amoris Laetitia" https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/revenge-amoris-laetitia/ DONATE to make this show possible! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters