On Saturday, May 9, Ralston College hosted in Savannah our most urgent event to date. At the intersection of the humanities, neuroscience, theology, computer science, and philosophy of mind, the symposium assembled a panel of the most leading voices of our time to tackle the existential challenge of artificial intelligence.
We are pleased to announce that this event, which benefited from the generous support of the Ben Delo Foundation, was filmed in its entirety. Our digital subscribers will be the first to receive notification when these recordings are made publicly available. To ensure that you do not miss this release or invitations to future gatherings, please join our community at the link below.
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A Gathering of Minds in Savannah
Artificial intelligence is not some distant prospect forecast by the futurists. It is a force deeply embedded in our contemporary world, radically reshaping the conditions of human life, our modes of social organization, and the way we perceive ourselves as free, conscious agents. In the historic setting of Savannah, Ralston College was proud to host a recent event dedicated to exploring these transformations through a lens that exceeds mere reductionist or computational accounts of cognition.
The purpose of the gathering was to move beyond the technical "how" of AI and address the fundamental question of how humans to respond to a technology that actively seeks to replicate them. As a burgeoning humanities college, Ralston is uniquely positioned to ask the questions that technologists often overlook. What aspects of the human condition are irreducible and irreplicable? What boundaries should we set for how best to control our relationship with AI? What forms of attention, education, and culture are now more necessary than ever to preserve a genuinely human future?
Anchored by Extraordinary Thinkers
Our conversations throughout the day were guided by a trio of formidable thinkers whose intellectual and scientific work speaks directly to some of the most urgent questions of our time:
- Dr Iain McGilchrist: The world-renowned neuroscientist and author whose work on the divided brain is at the forefront of thinking through the consequences of AI for both the individual and society.
- Jonathan Pageau: Theologian and host of The Symbolic World, who provides vital insights into the symbolic and narrative structures that AI attempts to mimic but cannot truly embody.
- Dr Stephen Wolfram: The distinguished computer scientist and physicist who offers a profound and comprehensive perspective on the nature of computation and its relationship to reality.
Together these three speakers helped participants navigate the complexities of intelligence, attention, agency, and consciousness. The day unfolded through lectures, themed dialogue, music, artwork, roundtable conversations, and a walking tour of the historic Ralston campus.
Restoring the Capacity for Truth
At Ralston College, we are concerned more with the context in which thinking takes place than with any single body of knowledge. We believe that, although the questions raised by AI might appear to be about technological capacity, they are fundamentally civilizational, philosophical, and spiritual.
By cultivating instruction and conversation capable of sustaining and solving these questions, Ralston is building a community able to recognize and defend truth, beauty, and meaning within an increasingly technologically mediated world.
The shared spirit of open-mindedness, goodwill, and humanity manifested throughout the gathering in Savannah attest to the enduring power and importance of this work. Our AI and the Battle for the Soul symposium is set to shape future conversations in profound, and unknowable, ways.
Stay Connected to the Conversation
This symposium was just one expression of Ralston’s broader mission to foster a free and flourishing culture through the communal pursuit of truth. We invite you to remain connected to this growing intellectual fellowship.
By subscribing to our newsletter, you will gain access to:
1. Early access to the filmed lectures and discussions: Be the first to watch the full lectures and discussions from the AI symposium featuring Dr Iain McGilchrist and guests.
2. Invitations and advance notice for future symposia, lectures, and events: Receive early notice and priority registration for upcoming talks, engagements, and regional gatherings.
3. Digital Content: Access essays, interviews, and academic updates that explore the Western tradition and its relevance to the modern world.
We hope you will continue this conversation with us in the months and years ahead.
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Onward and upward,
Ralston College
