Perspective

   By L. Jim Tuck

   April 20, 2023

The Two Minds of Man

Greetings from sunny Phoenix,

            The Bible reveals that human beings can have two minds, one which is carnal and one which can be spiritual. One mind leans towards violence and death and the other toward life and peace.

            One mind learns by trial and error led by his carnal mind and Satan’s influence, and the spiritual mind learns by revelation from God. The two trees in the garden of Eden show these two minds. Unfortunately, Adam chose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or the tree of death for himself and Eve and all their progeny. Mankind has been experimenting, learning through trial and error for the many thousands of years since.

            The Apostle Paul taught, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6)

            What we see all around us in the form of advancement in technology is the result of the carnal mind of man. Every weapon developed we have eventually used in the time of war, whether it was a boomerang or the Atomic Bomb.

            Many agree, man stands on the cusp of a world with incredible advances in scientific knowledge. One specific advance is in understanding Artificial Intelligence or AI.  Brown University released a study about AI which stated, “Artificial intelligence has reached a critical turning point in its evolution, according to a new report by an international panel of experts assessing the state of the field. Substantial advances in language processing, computer vision and pattern recognition mean that AI is touching people’s lives on a daily basis — from helping people to choose a movie to aiding in medical diagnoses. With that success, however, comes a renewed urgency to understand and mitigate the risks and downsides of AI-driven systems, such as algorithmic discrimination or use of AI for deliberate deception. Computer scientists must work with experts in the social sciences and law to assure that the pitfalls of AI are minimized.

           This is the worry of many regarding the downside of AI and how it could be used by nefarious people who will benefit by such a powerful tool. The dangers of AI include its potential use for evil purposes, such as in warfare. AI is being developed by the military for battlefield killer robots. It could be used to rig elections. AI will jeopardize our personal privacy. It will affect jobs and impact social equality.

            If AI outpaces human intelligence, it could become unmanageable, and human beings run the risk of either becoming obsolete or being exterminated.  It may be closer than we think. Futurist Ray Kurzweil predicted 15 years ago that singularity, the time when the abilities of a computer overtake the abilities of the human brain, will occur in about 2045.

            At the same time AI is being developed, scientists are working to unite it with the human mind to produce super intelligent humans.  

            China is also using CRISPR technology to gene edit. “A team of military medical scientists in China says it has inserted a gene from the microscopic water bear into human embryonic stem cells and significantly increased these cells’ resistance to radiation. They said success in this unprecedented experiment could lead to super-tough soldiers who could survive nuclear fallout.” (scmp.com)

            China is working in earnest to produce super soldiers for future wars, and what has been considered science fiction is now in the realm of reality.  

             Like many scientists warned about atomic bombs, many powerful men are warning about the dangers of AI. Men, like Elon Musk of Tesla Motor Co., have warned about it several times. Google chief, Sundar Pichai, has warned that the wrong deployment of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence technology can “cause a lot of harm” on a “societal level.” Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the company that developed the controversial consumer-facing artificial intelligence application ChatGPT, has warned that the technology comes with real dangers as it reshapes society.

           Man is inclined not to heed the warning.  He is prone to proceed down the same path.  His mind operates on trial and error which leads ultimately to destruction and death.

            Jesus said of the end time, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21-22)

            Those who put their trust in God realize it is much better to rely on God for His revelation and proceed in life with wisdom and patience, ensuring the end result will be life and peace.

 

            Have a good Sabbath day and weekend.