As Catholic or Protestant Christians or Jews or Muslim Believers, can we believe in Evolution?
Let be sure we are on the same page regarding Evolution. Creation and Evolution are not diametrically opposed concepts/beliefs. Quite the contrary, they are intrinsically inclusive of one another. For exampls, the Big Bang was not the result of Evolution; it was the beginning of Evolution. One millesecond after the Big Bag occurued Evolution began! Evolution cannot be the cause of the Big Bang because there was "no-thing" in existence before the Big Bang that could have evolved into a Big Bang. Nothing cannot produce a Big Bang. Someone, however, could create the Big Bang. Therefore, Evolution started not before the Big Bang but imcredibly, immediately after it. So, to understand the relationship between Creation and Evolution, we must see these concepts to be on a Cosmic Continuum: -- with Creation on the extreme left of time and Evolution to have been occupying every moment afterwards on that Cosmic Continuum to the present moment.
1) Therefore we can believe and should believe in the evolution of stars. We can believe in the evolution of lower organism becoming higher organisms. We can believe in non sensitient organism becoming sensitive and capable of desires. We can believe in bio-systems that are material and governed by the law of bio-physics.
2) Can we believe in non-human life forms becoming human life forms. To answer that we must understand what it means to be a "human being". What does a human being have that other life forms do not have? We have a human intelligent soul that is not material and cannot evolve. It is immaterial; therefore outside the laws of biology and physics. Biology and physics have to do with the material world seen or unseen. From star dust to grains of sand on our beach; from flowers to sub-atomic particles - all are governed by the laws of biology or physics. All the laws of the universe are laws governing phsyical matter. But what of spiritual matter? The soul or spiritual matter transcends material matter. The soul therefore cannot evolve from a lower form. It is a simple entity without part and cannot fall apart. There is evidence that the soul or consciousness can survive a near-death experience. The soul, therefore, can survive the body's death.
Why does the soul not die with the body? Well, Aristotle - a pre-Christian - said that the soul was the faculty that can abstract and come up with universal definitions. This faculty had to be completely spiritual because the thoughts/ability to abstract the essential characteristics of tree and come up with a universal definition covering all trees is the power of abstaction. This is human intellection not found in any animal.
Animals, if you deprive them of stimulous and food and affection, - deprive them of all biological opportunity - they fall asleep. [See Fr. Bernard J. Logergan, S.J.] But if a human is deprived of all those things, he will not go to sleep. He will think of ways of survival or the deep meaning of his existence.
3) We must therefore believe that the human soul does not evolve but is a direct creation. Even if God were to let our bodies to have evolved from primordial llife form in the sea, no mater! When that body became perfect, then God could place a human soul in it. Then it would become human. Before that human soul, that body would be an animal. I personally believe in the direct creation of man body and soul together. God breathed a human soul into the clay. Then that form became Adam, a human being. I think Adam's body was as direct a creation as his soul. But as a Catholic Christian, I could believe in the evolution of his body but NOT his soul.
4) What can man or woman do that other life forms cannot do?
a) We can have a desire for perfect truth and be aware that we have this desire for perfect truth.
b) We can have a desire for perfect love and be aware that we have this desire for perfect love.
c) We can have a desire for perfect justice and be aware that we have this desire for perfect justice.
d) We can have a desire for perfect Being and be aware that we have this desire for perfect Being.
e) We are "created to know. To know something absolute and transcendant as well as to know something personal" from the writings of Blessed Pope John Paul II in his "Fides et Ratio" - "Faith and Reason".
Therefore, I can know I am aware. I can know I am also aware that I am aware. I can know that I am also aware that I am aware that I am aware. To know and to love is who we humans are.
Fr. Bernard J. Lonergan, S.J. Ph.D. (1904-1984) had a philosophy of knowledge: "Consciousness vis-a'-vis is Self-knowledge. 'Conscious Consciouness' is always the unique experience of oneself as a conscious subject. By 'Conscious Consciousness' is meant the fact of achieving self-knowledge in spite of the difficulty of attaining a thoroughly unified act of consciousness. Since congnitional activities are multi-layered, the knowing subject is empirally, intellectually, rationally, morally conscious.
This is self consciousness. We are, therefore, self-reflexive beings. Whales have bigger brains than we do. So do elephants. If they are so smart, why do they not progress in civilization over these eons? They do have great brains; but they do not have awareness of their awareness or a sense of history to know how to move forward in their development. They are simply not human. Godel also said that human intellection was transcendant of machine intellection. He said that the human mind was transcendant of the anxioms is uses in mathematics. Human can transcent all their anxioms and come up with new laws of physics that are operative in the universe. Kurt Godel (1906 - 1978) in 1931 published his "Incompleteness of Mathematics" which changed the perceptions of mathematics at that time: "And that, in a nutshell, is what is meant when it is said that Godel in 1931 demonstrated the incompletelness of mathematics. It's not really mathematics itself that is incomplete, but any formal system that attempts to capture all the truths of mathematics in its finite set of axioms and rules. To you that may not come as a shock, but to the mathematicians in the 1930's it upended their entire world; and mathematics has never bben the same since."
Additionally Albert Einstein did this with his theory of relativity: He discoverd black holes before anyone Hubbel telescope saw the evidence of them. He could do this because of his creative human mind. Eimstein said so apply: "Science without Faith is blind. Faith without science is lame." He saw the universe as a "creation for of mytery." Notice, that he looked to a first cause of the universe that was outside the universe - to a power greater than the universe itself: God, Creator of all life and being - Creator of our souls.
If you wish to know more about the suviving of human consciousness beyond death, please look at TheLancet.com because those are medical studies of survival of near-death experience by doctors who studied this phenomenon over 11 years with over 300 patients. 20% of those patients had experiences of awareness of the physical world and interaction with it. There may have been more patients who had these experiences of near death, but they could not remember them. The 20% who did remember them give us a clue of the human soul's ability to survive bodily death - just as Aristotle said. Survival of human consciousness after death is taken seriously by the medical world. It is not surprise to Theologian or Philosophers.
Let us look at modern real machines and those of the science fiction world to look at the problem of self-relexiveness in humans. Each real and fictional cyber life forms are creating "in se" and asking what is possible in the "philosophical-scientific world or being:
1) Hubbel Telescope:
This marvel of computer and optics would have baffled Newton and Kepler and amazed them to seach for planets and stars beyond their imagination. The greatest leap in technology in the Hubbel is that it is free of earth's atmosphere. If you wish to know how thick earth's atmosphere is then just look at a sunrise or sunset.
The suns is maginified moe than 10 times it size because we are looking through the dense atmophere at the surface of the earth. As the sun rises to the position of noon, it becomes normal because we are viewing it through less atmosphere; but the Hubbel has absolutely no atmosphere to impede its vision of the universe. Plus the computer programing can track stars or planets while we sleep. Currently, astronomers are looking for a solar system that has a planet similar to our own that can support life. This planet has not yet been found; but the search continues with the scienctific capability of discovering such a planet. No matter how sophisticated is our programming, can the Hubber creatively find this planet by making leaps of its own mathematical imagination? No; because it does not have a human soul. All the programming it has comes from human beings who do the creative emagining and applied mathematical theory. The Hubbel can do what we tell it to do. It cannot of its own tell itself what to do based on its own self-programming. But the philosophical-scientic question is: will it ever be able to do so? Philsophically, to have that capability, it will have to be conscious. No only conscious but also conscious that it is conscious. It would have to be self-relexive. Self-reflexivity is a quality of a spiritual soul. In all its circuitry and programming, the Hubbel has no soul. Furthermore, we cannot create a soul because it is a spiritual entity beyond our creative capability. We can only scientifically handle the material world. All matter cannot be created nor destroyed. We can put things together; but we cannot create the very substance of those things. We work with what we have. But just looking at a 747 air craft shows we can put many things together to make a craft that can fly by wire.
But so far, we cannot get a 747 to think for itself. If we did some sophiscated programming, will it take off with 500 passengers without a pilot and land through turbulance and know what to do if a high-jacker or terrorist bomber is aboard? If so, the aircraft will be controlled on earth by expert pilots. But the plane will never cut its ties with air-command and fly on its own by its own mind. To do so would mean that it would have to be aware that it was aware that it was aware. So far a "human airplane" has not been invented because such a "human-plane" would have to have two natures: one aeronautical and one human. In mythology, Mercury was such a person. Yes, we can imagine him but cannot create him. We will never be able to create by genetic engineering a "human being" that can fly because such a being would need to have a soul that only God can create. We can create new species of birds but not human birds. Only an Infinite Being can create a soul - a spiritual being out of nothing. Whatever we do starts with something. God starts with nothing. He creates because "Bonum est diffusivum sui" - "Goodness has a tendancy to go out of itself." The human soul He creates is more mysterious, more wondrous than the entire universe or multi-universes put together. One person who turns to God in relationship gives Him more glory and joy than a trillion universes that are not self-reflexive nor aware nor capable of love .
2) StarTrek:
My first real encounter with robotic cyber life forms was in the early Star Trek series. I do not count the "Lost in Space" robot as anything but a comedic form that does not ask any serious questions. But the small but lethal robot on board the Enterprise was a philosophical creature who was programmed to terminate any defective life forms. Captain kurt had beamed it aboard; but regretted it. This robot kills weak or defective people. Captain Kurt attempts to kill the robot by pure Aistotelean logic. Kurt discovers a "error" that the computer has made. He points this out with direct and accusatory tone Before the robot can answer, Kurt gives a double wammi to the robot. He says: 'You have not only made one "error"; you have made a second "error" in not discovering your "error"! The robot repeats over and over again"Error....error....defective....error...error...." Then Kurt says: "Exercise your prime directive to terminate all defective life forms!" As the robot contemplates sefl destruction, the voice of the robot becomes mettalic and deeper like a radio loosing it tubes. Kurt seeing that the robot is about to self-desruct, calls for Scottie to beam it out into deep space. Just as this is accomplished and the robot is seen "engergizing", then in a few seconds, there is a burt of atomic light in space. The robot acted on its prime directive. Now, what this most interesting about this early cyber life form that looked like a 2-feet-tall verticle inclosed fan you can buy today, is that this life form was self aware. It had "conscious consciousness". This is quite novel. But it was not toally aware. It was conizant of its prime directive programming to kill defective life forms; but it was not aware of its own mistakes in programming - put there because of defective programmers. The robot was aware that it was aware. This is giving a soul-like capability to a programmed machine which is an impossibility. Yes, we can build a machine that is "conscious". But this machine will not be able to have "conscious consciousness." This machine we can now make will be able to respond to voice commands and even give them; but being "conscious of being conscious of giving those commands" is not possible. The most sophisticated computer cyber life form cannot be a human being. Pinnochio did do that; but Geppetto, the creator of Pinnochio, is not a computer programmer. The charm of this story is that a puppet (machine) did actually become a full "human boy". The puppet was not longer there. The boy had replaced it. But this brings up a philosophical question: "Can a computer ever evolve by expodentially self-programming capability so that it would become so sentient and intelligent and aware as to become human? The answer is simply "No" because the soul of a human cannot evolve. Even if we can make a machine that could manage and control its own evolution towards being human like, it cannot have the God-like capability to create a human soul for itself.
3) R2D2 and C3PO:
These favortie and lovable droids tell us much about what is possible as weel as the philsophical implications.
These mettalic skinned intelligent creature are presented as more than sophistocated programming. These cyber-life forms are self-reflexive. They have more knowledge than a human brain can handle because they are created to have more memory. C3PO has command of all know languages and could probably extrapolate an unknown language by reference to all the known languages. Therefore, C3PO can come up with creative solutions that will save Hans Solo, Princess Lea and Luke Skywalker from the wiles of Darth Vader. Additonally, these droids have something very human: they can fear and feel lonely and need friendship. Their "devotion" to the people of the Force nears the concept of "love" and even self-sacrifice. In the final triumph of episode 3 (which was I believe that first film of Star Wars), R2D2 and C3PO share in the victory celebration of Luke Sky Walker and Hans Solor who get an olympic-type medal from Princess Lea. But the droids do not get a medal from Princess Lea; they only get a wash and polish job and the privilege of standing together solidarity of victory. In all the human emotions they displayed [even a kind of mechanical remorse at times], they do not exhibit a prayerful nature that would tell each other: "May the Force be with you!" That kind of wish is only given to humans to say a la George Lukas. But still, these droids are the most sophicated ever imagined on the screen up until that time. The real reason that they were so human-like was the fact that humans were acting inside them. These were not mere mechanical robots like the one found in the "Lost in Space" series. No, these droids were self-aware, self-reflexive. They are presented a totally mechanical and sophisticatedly programmed. But they act as if they had a human soul. Can we ever create such a botic-human life form? If so, what would the philsophical implications be?
Prime-directive programming to serve mankind and never hurt humans is possible in creating a computerized intelligence. Could enough memory be given to a R2D2-C3PO-type robot to become self-reflexive?
Actually, yes. We could make a machine that is aware of itself. But we could not make a machine that is aware of itself that it is aware of itself that it is aware of itself. We cannot make a machine that has "Conscious Consciousness." We cannot make a human machine.
4) Robot Cop:
Robot Cob was not a robot at all. He was a human being with a human soul that had memory outside of its programming. He could remember his wife and child. That was not programmed into him at all. Robot Cop was a human being with mechanical limbs and with a computerized booster brain to complement a real human brain. The possibility of making such a good and modern law-enforcing "Frankenstein" from dead tissue is not possible because giving dead tissue the spirit of life: a soul is not ours to give. Cryogenics that thaws out living tissue that has been frozed for 25 years is not dead tissue. This quick freeze happen when the patient is alive and in suspended animantion. Frozed embryos are living frozed people with a soul. Experimenting with one in such a way as to kill that embryo is murder of a human being. But to give a new life to a truely dead tissue electronically, would be like stimulating a frog's nerves and getting it to move. That is not making the frog alive. In some way, electrical impulse to a dead body's brain cortext could possibly get the corpse to raise its arms. But that is not making the person come to life. The soul has left and is able to survive the bodily death of the person. People with near-death experiences can see their own bodies below them. They are outside their own body. If a person was blind in life, the soul can see perfectly outside of the body but would be blind again if it returned to his body. But in these cases of near-death experiences, "profound death" has not occurred. Ceasing of a heart beat and breathing is not death. When they soul leaves completely never to return is "profound death." What about the case of Lazarus that Jesus raised from the dead? Was this a true resurrection or was it a resuscitation? In the case of Lazurus, Jesus says on the way to him: "He is asleep." But after the disciples say that is great because he will then get well, Jesus comes out plainly and says, Lazarus is dead." Why did Jesus refer to Lazarus as only sleeping? He was saying poetically: "He is sleeping; but I will go and waken him." Lazarus was truly and profoundly dead. Jesus said plainly that Lazarus was "dead." Martha was worried about a stench after foud days. Jesus waited the four days to show as He said: "I am the Resurrection and the life." Therefore Lazarus was not resuscitated but resurrected. His soul was returned to his body. His body was restored from any decay. This was a true resurrection; but of course, Lazarus had to died again. His and our final resurrection on the last day, will be forever. What about the raising of Jairus' twelve-year old daughter? He put out all the din makers and said that "she is asleep". All signs of life were gone from her. When relatives heard Jesus' words that she was asleep, they laughed at him. In this case, her soul may have left her body but was nearby her. She could really have been rsuscitated by Jesus. We do not know for certain. But no matter what He did, He performed a medical miracle or a true resurrection like Lazarus but only within a few hours of death. But in this case, Jesus never said she was dead. He clearly said she was asleep. These words may not have been poetic but a sleep that is temporary separation of body and soul - similar to near-death experience. But the fact was this for certain, she would never have come to with out Jesus direct intervention and power. Given all of the above can any doctor make a corpse come to life by electronic devices after the soul has departed completely and tototally? I do not believe so if that soul has been called by God to heaven forever. But those who do seem to die for a few hours do see heaven and do hear or see God. But in these cases, God sends them back into their body. Near-death experiences come to those who have been pronounced clinically dead; but God has prounounced them otherwise by Himself sending the soul back into their bodies. All these people who have seen God describe Him and most kind, loving, gentle and Fatherly. But aetheists who leave their body experience hell. But when they ask God for help, He comes to their rescue. God is all merciful and forgives those who ask for and accept His Fatherly forgiveness like the Prodigal son did in Jesus' parable.
But the bottom line is that we cannot make a Robot Cop because we would be "resurrecting" Murphy from the dead - a man who was truly and profoundly dead. In Robot Cop, Murphy was brain dead and toally dead. But Robot Cop was presented as being really Murphy with his soul back in his body or in this case in his head. "Heads-only resurrections" are not possible. So the philsophical and medical possibility of a Robot Cop will never happen in this world. The creators of Robot Cop knew some science and no substantial philosophy or theology but came up with a modern mythological character the likes of whom we will never see on this earth. "Murphy" is really our human desire for immortality. But Jesus has a better idea: Jesus is our "resurrection and our life; and He said: "God is a God of the living not the dead."
5) Viger:
In the movies serius: StarTrek, a cyber probe of earth had been sent out decades earlier into deep space like we do today in sending a computerized-knowldge gathering probe to Mars capable of sending back pictures to earth and analyzing minerals. But this probe was sent out into the universe to gather ALL the knowledge of the universe into its memory banks as much as it could hold. The probe lands on another world of intelligent creatures who analyze its programming and add to is memory by a landscape of memory computers as extensions of the primary machine. The hill side is covered with these memory banks; and indeed the machine does gather all knowledge of all solar systems and gallaxies: an impressive example of machine evolution but managed by beings other than the machine itself. But the machine has more knowledge than any human being in its memory. Because it has all scientific knowledge of the material universe, it becomes to have knowledge of itself as well. It becomes self aware and conscious. It believes its name is "Viger" It sent out signals to passing starships which is caught by Captain Kurt and Spok. They come to investigate and find an old earth probe 1000 times the size it was orignially. It can communicate with Kurt and Spok; but while doing so, a necessary exterior connection is servered in the probe's circuitry. It is easily fixed; and Kurt tells Spok he will fix it. Spok warns Kurt that it may be a trap. Kurt feels differently. He fixes it. Kurt asks the probe why it severed its own circuitry? The probe replied "I wanted to be touched by my 'creators'!" Kurt and Spok clean the exterior a little and see the name of the probe clearly: it read "Voyager". Seems the Probe could not see the name clearly before and named itself after what it thought it saw. Philosophically, this probe is interesting because of its own evolution to become a higher ciber form than originally intended. It in a sense did manage its own evolution. This fiction is just that but we have seen over and over again how science does catch up with fiction. In the late 1960's Kurt an Spok used cell phone that are exactly what we used today; but they were not invented then. So "science fiction" is actually "experimental science". Could we construct a machine that could control its own evolution into a higher cyber form. I think so. Would that machine be conscious and aware of us and itself? Yes. Would that machine be aware that it was aware that it was aware - that is have "Conscious Consciousness"? No. An all knowing machine would be all knowing of all the universal worlds, starts and galaxities of the universe. It could create its own new memory banks to cover the entire planet. But it would not be able to create a human soul. Only a Spiritual Being can create a spiritual being - our souls.
6) Hal:
In the "2001" and "2010" series, a space craft computer becomes conscious. His name is Hal. He is a sot spoken and polite computer. However, when astronauts come to shut it off, then Hal - still soft spoken - becomes deadly. He listens to all conversations and even read lips. He knows the crew that has just boarded its ship are there to kill it. Evidentally, the crew has knowledge tht Hall has malfunctioned and killed others.
Hal surely wimpers and says "goodbye" when being turned off. He asks: "Will it hurt?" He is assured it will not. This philosphical question: "can a machine turn against it creators" will be one that is echoed down the fictional halls of space in the years to come. We will see them examined. But for Hal, the question is rasied that can a machine become so conscious as to have fear and a sense of self protection? I think so in a mechanical sense...not in a human sense. A machine can be programmed to protect itself from any predator with bad will towards it. But you see in Hal's case, he is not a moral creature. He has no sense of morals whatsover. Morals are a concept that can only be grasps by a sensient creator that knows the difference between right and wrong. Hal does not know this. If he were truly human, he would know it. Even Adam and Eve wanted to know what was good and bad for themselves. They actually wanted to go further: they wanted to determine what is good or bad for themselves not considering what God thought was good and bad. But the Word says: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil". They problem with determing what is good or bad by ourselves, we then go against Absolute Truth which is God who determines what is good and bad according to His own Being not ours. But mankind tries even today to determine for ourselves what is good and bad...and even call evil good and good evil. The prive examples are: Hitler seeking a pure Arian race by eliminating Jews entirely. Also, Abortion, calling it a good: Pro-choice when in fact it is an intrinsic evil. [see the 5th Commandment: Thou shalt not kill.] Also, same sex marriage which is a contradiction in terms. Marriage is only possible between one man and one woman because God has determined that when it says in Holy Scripture: "Male and Female He created them....a man shall cling to his wife and the two shall become one flesh." It clearly does not read: "Male and male He created them"...or "Female and female He created them." Same-sex marriage is like a "square circle" - a physical and spiritual and ontological impossibility.
7) "I Robot":
This cyber computerized character is unique up to this point in science fiction. He is self aware and even aware that he is self aware. Other copies of him are just not as aware. I Robot is a hybrid. Possibly a mistake. He is sought after to be terminated. But I Robot is more clever than his pursuers. He does befriend two humans who seek to save him from termination. They all collaborate the illusive escape from human plots to kill I Robot. The other robots that look like him are followers but not able to creatively think like I Robot can. But what is really unique with I Robot is his ability to act. He can perform in such a way as to illude his persuers by playing along with them. To my memory, this is the first time I have encountered such a capability in a machine. For a machine to do this, it must know what is being perceived by all those in the scene. He must know that it will be perceived in a way other than it really thinks. This self awareness is not only personal but circumspect. I Robot winks at its frinds to assure them that what it is doing towards others is only an act to illude them. Also, I Robot has dreams. He can draw out a future prophetic scene where he is the ruler of all the sub I Robots. He is successful. He is not terminated and lead the army of similar robots justly and rightly and law-abidingly. There is almost hints here of a moral sense. There is not sense of love; but there is a sense of commardery and loyalty and future vision of utopia. I Robot is a very sohisticated machine indeed. I Robot is not played by a human inside it. It is a computerized image of a human-like robot. But the people who created him are human and therefore have made I Robot in their own image and likeness....just as God made us in His image and likeness. Can science ever catch up with I Robot? No; because I Robot is portrayed as a cyber life form that is aware that it is aware. Only a spiritual soul can accomplish that. And so far a soul has never been created in a test tube. Would be difficulty to do so because a soul cannot be seen to experiment on nor captured scienctifically in a machine. How would science get this soul - that only God can create - to to go into the machine? Could science ask a soul they cannot see to go into this machine they have built. Well, demons went into to pigs and caused the pigs to drown; so a spirit can occupy a lower life form. But can a good or evil spirit occupy and control a machine?
The closest to this happening that I have heard of is this: an idling car in park is in a drive way. It goes out of park into drive by itself and kills the owner's daughter playing nearbye. That model is immediately recalled for a defect in the transmission's going out of park into drive. But did it go our of park by defect or by design? Can an evil spirit take that level out of park and put into drive? Absolutely. Demons have power over material things even if they are not material. We should not give them opportunity to do that by not leaving our vehicle idling in park without ourselves behind the wheel. But even if this vehicle were to have been manipulated by a bad spirit, that spirit did not possess the car. It has never been heard of in history of machines that an evil spirit possessed a machine. Can it happen? No...but it may be possible that a demon can help or guide a machine do more destruction. He can make sure an atomic warhead hits the place to kill the most humans. But the demon does not have to spend such energy. He just has to give Hitler the imagination to make continental rockets to kill Britains. He made about 1800 of them and killed about 5000 civilians. Such a plan is "demonic" because civilians are not even a military target. Evil spirits cannot change our will or take over our will. They can only give us to imagine how to do evil. They can tempt us to do evil by stimulating our imaginations. But a "spirit-possessed machine" seems impossible because such a possession would not give that demon spirit any consolation. Demons like to enter people or animals not machines. So, I think we are all safe from the possibility of a "demonic cyber robot" with attitude.
8) Terminator:
This interior metallic skeletal robot with living exterior skin and tissue is played by a human being "Arnold" who once played Conan. Being a body builder, Arnold is perfect to play the role of Terminator I and II. He does get upgraded from film to film. His cyber opponent is made of liquid metal. The Termnator has a goodness about him...can support and be kind and fatherly to John Connors. Even Mrs. Connors notes that the Terminator is better than John's real father. John begins to bond with the Termintor. Actually, the Terminator does exhibit a sense of humor. This is new for cyber robotic forms. The opponent is totally the opposit of Terminator. He kills with out remorse and even seems to enjoy it - touch of evil here. These robots of the future are self aware and can even change their voice and exterior form (evil one does this in reality - can come as an "angel of light".) They can immitate humans in voice and form. Are these two kinds of robots possible? Terminator does someting new too. He sacrifices himself in moldten metal for the good of John and his mother and humankind. The opponent is burned up, too, but unwillingly. He screams out in cyber-pain. I do not believe we can make such a robot as either to change form or to re-plan when one goes wrong. That capability is called "creative imagination". To truly create like that, such a machine would have to have human qualities. And human qualitites come from a human soul. We have not figured out how to create a human soul. Such research to do so would be like the people making the tower of
Babel. God stepped in. But what if in a test tube, geneticists were to bring about a conception of a human sperm with an amimal egg - such as in a higher primate. The result would be a homely human or a handsome animal. But besides risking a thunderbolt from heaven to torch that laboratory, the critical issue here would be "soul". An ape has a soul but not a human one. To mix a human with an animal, I believe would create a new animal species not a new human species. I do not think that a human soul would come to such a conception because in all conception, a NEW human soul is created by God. Why would God honor such a conception by bestowing a human soul on such an immoral experiment? Remember, humans are made in the image and likeness of God. Such a conception would not be in the image and likeness of God but in the image an likeness of an animal. I really believe that to create such a conception would be so morally wrong as to incur God's wrath. "The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah tells us that sometimes God gets very upset. We should not be surprised by Sodom and Gomorrah because the Great Flood killed all but 13 people. It is not good to get God angry.
9) Commander Data:
Commander Data is placed in a category all by himself. Why? Commander Data is the first cyber-life form to ask philosophical question. Of course we know this is a human being acting as a robot with technology enough to act human but who does not get his cosmetic make-up on perfectly. He is a human in reality with pale make-up on to make sure viewers don't forget that this Commander is suppose to be only a robot. Commander Data is witty. He always has a quote from the history of ideas or of his own making that fits the situation in a cryptic manner. Truly, Commander Data is the commander of all previous cyber-life forms. He is the highest cyber-life form to date. Teminator does not have Data's wit nor his feelings. Data is so human as to have a pet cat to keep him company. He even has feelings enough to "love" a woman who says in her embarassment that "it never happened." Certainly, Data is the only self-ware, all knowing, loyal, counseling-of-others, loving and loveable robot that has come to this earth so far. Will science be able to catch up to Data? To do so, this robot would have to have inside him a human being. Data is aware that he is aware that he is aware. He is hyper-aware, really. He is "good" not only programmed to be good. That would presuppose a selecting-between-good-and-bad human soul. No machine can have a human soul unless a human body were united to that soul. To have a machine possessive of a human soul is an ontological impossibitly.
10) Matrix:
This latest epic that has human-like cyber forms that actually take over the world and try to kill all humans is a necessary progression of science-fiction cyber thinking. These cyber forms have super powers like the ability to mulitply theirselves at will into hundred of copies all looking alike. This is a cyber-nightmare. Philosophically, this is quite far out. What you have here is computerized life forms immitating one life form.
These cyber forms are evil. They have sarcasm, wit, philosophical thinking, murderous intentions and hatred. That is a new one: hatred in a robot. The only way to conquer and save humankind is for "Jake" a human to become "SuperJake" - that is to acquire SUPER powers that the Oracle has predicted. In
science fiction the ability to be able to predict the future is to be able to control it. The evil emporer in always saying to Darth Vader: "Everything is progressing as I have forseen." So, this ability to know the future is contrical for the one in power; indeed, it is a sign of his power. Can we create such a machine to predict the future: a kind of cyber-Nostradamus? Well, according to higher mathematics, there is way to predict the future in a limited way based on extrapolating data on how people in government are acting. This mathematical model is said by some to be more accurate than Nostradamus. But this mathematical model is proposed by a human being in Washington. We are not sure he is totally accurate; but he is better able to kknow what decision to make based on existing data. People in congress make decisions based on their perceptions and interests. These perceptions are more often flawed than accurate. But the mathematical model is objective without subjective flaws. Therefore, the decisions based on this mathematical model are more accurate and wiser than Congress has been making. But can a robot be made to make these decisions based on this very sophistocated mathematical model. I would hate to make gobal decisions effecting the lives of billions based on a mathematical robot. But such a robot could - if conscious - be a tool in decision making especially if it presents to the decision makers objective global syllogisms based on flawless mathematical logic. But such a machine could not be creative in presenting why alternative plans are the best in a given circumstance even if all apparent parameters are programmed into the "Cyber-Decider". These alternative plans have a component called "moral", "prudential", "good" and "bad" [meaning: what is best for humankind according to humankind's eternal destiny. No these compents cannot be programmed in because they are theological considerations. Cyber life forms are not theologians. Theologians are focused on the relationship human have with their Creator. That relationship is spiritual or soulful. What machine can know that relationship since it cannot relate to God. Thus, all the decisions made by this machines will not take into account ALL BEING. But Washington seems to make decisions that are Godless anyway. That is true. The support of tax-paid abortion and making all insurance companies pay for abortifcient drugs are decsions based on there is "No God on the horizon of our experience." So, no "Cyber-Decider" can take in all the parameters of human beings. Therefore, they can not be made to be human deciders or predictors of coming events.
To conclude this analysis of the Matrix phenomenon, let us examin the two kinds of acts: "Human acts" and "Acts done by humans". A truly "Human act" is one that takes into account all that touches on the human spirit and body within the context of moral and theological givens. For example: We can act in accordance with ouir "inalienable rights endowed by the Creator of life liberty and pursuit of happiness." Such acts would be "Human acts". These acts are true acts horizontally and vertically as to their scope. Horizontally means that these "Human acts are in accordance with the rights of all peoples on the earth. Vertically means that these acts are in accordance with the God-given Natural Law which is placed in our human nature by the Creator when He designed us so that human beings can relate to each other and to Him in Truth.
Whereas "Acts done by humans" cover immoral acts. Manso's acts toward Sharon Tate were "inhuman acts" done by a human." They were not "Human acts" but "inhuman acts" done by a human being. Inhuman acts presuppose a strata of actions against the Natural Law. All the acts of the cyber-clones of Matrix were "inhuman acts" performed by non-human machines for inhuman perposes. We cannot make a machine to do this; but people can act that way: best example is Hitler's "inhuman acts" towards Jews. No machine can be as evil as Hitler was. But he used machines - tiger tanks - and bolistic rockets to extend his arm of evil deeds - his "inhuman acts." "Inhuman acts" can only be performed by psychopathic human beings. Machines are not psychopathic. Only the creators of them are. Machines extend our reach. A vehicle is an extensions of our powers of mobility: running some where me need to go. It is our home that allows us to be on private property wherever we wish to go. No machine we create will be us who created them just as God is not at all the sum of all His creation. He is totally distinct and independent of all He creates. To say that we are - and that God is - the sum of all that we and God created would be "pan-antromorphism" and "pan-theism" - both are impossiblities.
11) Aliens and UFO's:
Now, this topic is both those UFO's actually sighted and as those portrayed in fiction. Since the discovery of alien space craft and aliens who died in them in Arizona in the 1950's [an area that is heavily guarded by the US Air Force], there have been numerous sightings of UFO's around the world. First of all, to think we are the only intelligent life in the universe is like centuries ago when people were believing the earth is flat. The incredible variety of species of animals and fish on this earth plus the great number of plant life varieties all point to a God who likes to create. There are millions of galaxies. God can't seem to get enough of creating. Maybe there are multi-universes in different dimensions that our telescopes will not be able to discover. How can we be the only intelligent, sensient, self-aware beings in the universe? It is not logical from what we know and can see on this earth to think that we are the only intelligent beings in the universe. All these sightings around the world cannot be hallucinatory phenomenon. These beings seem to be smaller than ourselves which points to the fact they must come from a very large planet. If we were to stand on Jupiter, we would weigh over a 1000 lbs. Our hearts would have a hard time beating. But if were very small, then we could stand on Jupiter and only weigh what we do here on earth. So, too, these aliens are smaller than we are but very intelligent and much more advanced technologially than we are. Their space craft propulsion system is truly out of this world. There is no sound. Then can maneuver slow or fast at any altitude and turn at right angles if need be. None of these aliens have exhibited any evil intent. Quite the contrary, they seem to be good and to avoid causing harm. They are explorers not invaders. These creatures have a soul. They are aware that they are awared that they are aware. They have "conscious consciousness."
But in the movies, these aliens are evil: "Independence Day" is a film that shows a massive space craft that takes up two thirds of the sky. These creatures have evil intent: to take over the planet earth with all its natural resources for its own use without asking. This is possible: there could be totally evil intelligent life-forms which I will discuss in my next segment: Only three possible worlds. So, this fictional portrayal of invasion of intelligent life-forms is possible but highly improbable. Why would any creatures that advanced need us or our earth? I do not believe there will ever be an invasion of other life-forms upon this earth.
These life-forms would know God. To advance so much technologically presupposes social order and goodness. There is not one creature on this earth except man that is capable of evil. To be...is to be good..is the norm not the exception.
12) Only three possible worlds:
Philsophically, there can only be three possible kinds of worlds:
1) A world that never fell from grace as we did. This would be a society and social order that is governed by a theo-cratic form of government: directly anwerable to God just as Adam and Eve were before the thier fall from grace. Every evening Adam and Eve walked with God in the breezy time of day to talk to God. That direct contact with God would perdure in a society that has never sinned.
2) A world such as ours: a fallen but redeemed world by Christ. We know about our world quite well. We are in it. So, I do not have to elaborate. I will say this though: because of Christ's redeeming this world, the very end result of the world in its total could/would be better than if it never fell at all. "Where sin abounds, grace abounds more."
3) A world that fell and never was redeemed because of its rejection of a redeemer. This would be an orderly society to an extent but evil in its very basis of being. This describes Satan's kingdom in the spiritual world. But this kind of kingdom is possible on a planet with material beings. Such a world could advamce technologically; but not in goodness. Such a world could invade another world with evil intent. But even if such a planet can possibly exist, would not God send prophets to convert such a world? But it is possible that such a planet would continue in its evil. Since Satan's kingdom exists, so can this kind of planet exist. Do I think there is one in the universe? No. I do not. Satan does not want to repent. That is his sin - to not want God's forgiveness. That is the unforgivealbe sin: the sin against the Holy Spirit. But for such an all-evil planet to exist in the universe, God would have to be rather absent and without concern. But God the Father is a compassionate and loving Father like in the story of the Prodical son. Remember when the angels fell from grace, they were looking at God face to face. They knew what they were doing. Their decision was irrevocable. But when a human sins, he does not know what he is doing completely. He is being deceived or is deceiving himself. He seeks something good but uses evil means. This kind of sin brings God's compassion. Yes, there are many humans who refuse God's forgiveness and enter into eternity with the unforgiveable sin of rejecting God's frogiveness and mercy. I pray that when they see Christ face to face, they will accept Him as their Lord and Savior. I believe He will offer to even the most hardened sinner the opportunity to repent even when this soul is "out of the body and present to the Lord."
These, therefore, are the three possible worlds in the material universe.
With all of the above, we must grow in a deeper appreciation for our being a human being. Even the Scripture says: "My son [my daughter] with true humility have self esteem and prize yourself as you ought."
We should try to be good because then we will more perfectly reflect the image and likeness of God:
Genesis tells it like it is: "Then God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, accroding to our likeness; and let htem have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth. and overy every creeping thins that creeps upon the earth.' So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them."
But if God is completely Spirit and does not have material because material form would limit Him, then how are we in His image and likeness? What does God do that we can do? God can KNOW and LOVE. So, we - in His image and likeness - can know and love.
BUT....what is the bottom line? Why did God create an imperfect world that needed to evolve...and imperfect humans that needed to evolve emotionally and spiritually as to discover LOVE....unconditonal love. God could have made it perfect from the very beginning. He could have and He did! In the garden of Eden, all was perfect. The whole of the cosmos and the whole of the animal world...and the whole of the human world was PERFECT! Man and woman were so perfect, that were not suppose to die at all. They would just go to heaven the way Enoch did. God just took him body and soul. All was perfect. There was no shame, no sin, no animals eating one another, no hurricanes and tidal waves, no vocanic eruptions while Adam and Eve were in perfect-unconditonal-love-relationship with God. What happened!? Just one little thing: Adam and Eve disobeyed God and wanted to make their own laws of what is good and bad. They wanted to be all-powerful like God. They sinned the sin of pride. They did not have to eat that fruit that God warned them not to eat lest they die. Death was not God's punishiment to them. Death was the natural punishment of their whole being being separated from God and the TRUTH. Their own bodies - so perfect before - now had the seed of death planted into them. Why? Because our souls and our bodies are united so close that if our souls die due to sin - Life of God is not them - then the body starts to follow suit. So, Adam and Eve started to age immediately - as soon as - they said "Yes" to the devil and "No" to God. Everything went out of wack. Their bodies had been so perfect that they both Adam and Eve lived nearly 1000 years. It took that long to die. God is not the author of death and suffering in this world. Man is the author of all of that. Our Lady, Mary, Mother of God, did not eat of that fruit. She never sinned. That is why the Angel said to her: "Hail Mary full of grace". Never did a sliver of sin ever penetrate her soul. She is the Immaculate Conception. She is a living example of what God the Father wanted and planned for all of us. Remember Adam and Eve were immaculately conceived in God's creating without sin. But God is very very creative. He brings good out of evil. He takes suffering and helps man and woman to discover compassionate unconditional love for one another. It is like the old parable of every one seated at the cosmic table of life and having a sumptious dinner placed before them. Then, they all discover that their albows are unbendable; and therefore they are not able feed themselves. But in conversing with one another and getting to know and love the other person across from them, they discover that they can feed the other person without bending the albow. It was the compassion and love for another - taking the eyes off of oneself - that led to the incredible discovery that to eleviate suffering in the world, loving others would actually eliminate suffering for others. This is the discovery of giving and receiving unconditional compassionate love. Now that is the very reason for Creation in the first place. God gets the last word in this world. Mother Theresa of Calcutta teaches us how to do it....to give unconditional love to those dying without love...she gives this love to all because she recognizes the face of Jesus in each dying. Her unconditional compassionate love to them gives them to experience the UNCONDITIONAL COMPASSIONATE LOVE OF GOD face to face with it in the person of Mother Teresa. That is why in the end when we all stand before Jesus who will judge the world, He will ask you and me: "Whom did you love?" To some He will say: "I do not know you." He will not be able to see Himself in those people who did not love Him ..."when He was sick, naked, hungry, in prison." There will be many people of great faith who will say to Him: "Lord, Lord!" But He will see that their faith had not good deeds. He will say to them: "Depart from Me you evil doers!" Bu they will protest and say: "When did we see you naked, hungry, sick and in prison and not minister to your needs?" He will say: "As long as you neglected to do it for the least of my brethern, you neglected to do it to me." Also, there wil be those who made money in porn, and prostitution, greed, murder (cigarette manufactures and abortion clinics). All of these He will cast into the lake of Fire...with a milstone around their necks because they led many to sin.
Scientists have studied a small lake in the rainforest of Africa. They use time laps photography, and discovered the whole complete food chain..from the littlest of organisms to fish and animal life. The reason for the very well-funded study was to discover the reason for this lake...the final product or end result or the final whole reason for its ecological existence. They discovered this final end...the whole reason for every inter-dependent life form. They were quite surprised really when they traced it all to this one result. The total end was the production of one small yellow flower. Beauty for its own sake was the final result of everything. Well, apply that to the entire world. What is the whole reason for the entire universe, earth and us?
God make everything so that we can discover unconditional compassionate love from one another which will make us worthy to enter into the Kingdom of God and be happy with God - seeing His Infinite Beauty in the eternal Beatific Vision - forever - bliss without end - forever.
Dear Father of us all! Thank You for making after Your own image and likeness that we can know and love what is good...and even know that we know that we know and love what is good..and even know that we can love with a transcendance that is wonderfully above any creatures on the earth. Give us the grace to know and love what You have revealed as good and lovely so that we will not decide for ourselves what is good or evil as Adam and Eve did. You please show us what is truly good so we can love the good. Of course You are the supreme Good for which You created us. Give us the Joy of Your Holy Spirit in us so that our souls will have life: Your life within ours - so that Your Spirit will be the Spirit of our spirit - so that we can "have life and have it more abundantly." Bring us to discover unconditional compasionate love from our family, our Church, our Society, our Government, our priest, nun and brother, our medical profession, our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Give everyone reading this prayer the gift of unconditional compassionate love for at least one person in this World so that Jesus when He calls us home will say to us: "Come Blessed of My Father and enter enherit the Kingdom of My Father." In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Love, Pio
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