AI and Reasonable Faith
I am a person of faith and I hope that the object of my faith and the process of my faith are reasonable. I am also a student of history. I am enamored by the collective wisdom curated through ancient cultures and civilizations that still guide us today.
The Sumerians
Take for example the Sumerians. The Sumerians were the people of southern Mesopotamia whose civilization flourished between c. 4100-1750 BCE. They created the first cities, farming, kings/empire, writings, ale, measurements and keeping time, etc. . . Why? They created things in an effort to improve their lives. They arrived at the need for these things by seeing problems and proposing solutions, and then testing them.
And, interestingly, religion and gods played an important role in the Sumerian culture. In fact, the will of the gods was considered the final and only factor in how the universe and life on earth operated.
The Sumerians fervently held to their theistic concept of life while allowing themselves to imagine a world which operated according to certain natural laws. In attempting to find out how, they laid the foundation for scientific inquiry which would later be developed by their neighbors the Egyptians, and subsequently the Greeks and Romans. And on to the present day.
The Sumerians believed the gods had created order out of chaos and had then created human beings as their co-workers to maintain that order. Since the gods were the root cause of all things, seen or unseen, the goal of their various innovations and inventions seems to have been to understand how this order functioned. And, to labor with the gods to preserve it.
Gula, the Sumerian Goddess of Healing
Now
Fast forward to the beginning of our 21st Century and we are at the dawn of a technical break through.
AI is here. The barn door is now open and there is no shutting it again.
I think this brings Spiritual Care providers a wonderful opportunity to shine a light on what we do in the clinic. By making ourselves valuable, we help to shift our status in the clinic from (at times) being merely “tolerated” to “valued”. We can use AI to multiply the resources of a clinic, and help staff to reach patients, loved ones and other staff in a timely manner.
The right door, at the right time, for the right reasons. AI presents us with an opportunity to co-create with the curated wisdom and know-how of our times. Like the Sumerians, perhaps, the first to create a Silicon Valley back in 4000 BCE.
Gods are everywhere in the clinic. Many expect gods to show up and do incredible feats, acts, and miracles. This is not in competition with the amazing technology, machines and know-how of our clinicians and ancillary professionals. Medicine and gods belong in the clinic, together.
The patients and their families need it, and the staff need it too. Clinicians also want to provide spiritual care (or chaplains) to their patients. As the Sumerians discovered, it appears gods, technology and knowledge are intertwined.
Our vision
Axial Care & Solutions supports humane and ethical reflection on new technologies for human life. Especially as it applied to suffering caused by disease in the clinic. To achieve these goals, Axial Care & Solutions aims to promote an anthropological and ethical reflection on artificial intelligence and new technologies.
To encourage humane and inclusive initiatives.
To collaboration with spiritual care providers to develop activities, services and studies in the field of artificial intelligence.
To disseminate responsible and equitable AI Ethics
And, to promote fundraising to support these activities.