Machines For Making Gods

Author : Jon Bialecki
Publisher : Fordham University Press
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2022-03-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780823299386

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Machines for Making Gods by Jon Bialecki Pdf

The Mormon faith may seem so different from aspirations to transcend the human through technological means that it is hard to imagine how these two concerns could even exist alongside one another, let alone serve together as the joint impetus for a social movement. Machines for Making Gods investigates the tensions between science and religion through which an imaginative group of young Mormons and ex-Mormons have found new ways of understanding the world. The Mormon Transhumanist Association (MTA) believes that God intended humanity to achieve Mormonism’s promise of theosis through imminent technological advances. Drawing on a nineteenth-century Mormon tradition of religious speculation to reimagine Mormon eschatological hopes as near-future technological possibilities, they envision such current and possible advances as cryonic preservation, computer simulation, and quantum archeology as paving the way for the resurrection of the dead, the creation of worlds without end, and promise of undergoing theosis—of becoming a god. Addressing the role of speculation in the anthropology of religion, Machines for Making Gods undoes debates about secular transhumanism’s relation to religion by highlighting the differences an explicitly religious transhumanism makes. Charting the conflicts and resonances between secular transhumanism and Mormonism, Bialecki shows how religious speculation has opened up imaginative horizons to give birth to new forms of Mormonism, including a particular progressive branch of the faith and even such formations as queer polygamy. The book also reveals how the MTA’s speculative account of God and technology together has helped to forestall some of the social pressure that comes with apostasy in much of the Mormon Intermountain West. A fascinating ethnography of a group with much to say about crucial junctures of modern culture, Machines for Making Gods illustrates how the scientific imagination can be better understood when viewed through anthropological accounts of myth.

Author : Jon Bialecki
Publisher : Fordham Univ Press
Page : 251 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2022-03-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780823299379

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Machines for Making Gods by Jon Bialecki Pdf

The Mormon faith may seem so different from aspirations to transcend the human through technological means that it is hard to imagine how these two concerns could even exist alongside one another, let alone serve together as the joint impetus for a social movement. Machines for Making Gods investigates the tensions between science and religion through which an imaginative group of young Mormons and ex-Mormons have found new ways of understanding the world. The Mormon Transhumanist Association (MTA) believes that God intended humanity to achieve Mormonism’s promise of theosis through imminent technological advances. Drawing on a nineteenth-century Mormon tradition of religious speculation to reimagine Mormon eschatological hopes as near-future technological possibilities, they envision such current and possible advances as cryonic preservation, computer simulation, and quantum archeology as paving the way for the resurrection of the dead, the creation of worlds without end, and promise of undergoing theosis—of becoming a god. Addressing the role of speculation in the anthropology of religion, Machines for Making Gods undoes debates about secular transhumanism’s relation to religion by highlighting the differences an explicitly religious transhumanism makes. Charting the conflicts and resonances between secular transhumanism and Mormonism, Bialecki shows how religious speculation has opened up imaginative horizons to give birth to new forms of Mormonism, including a particular progressive branch of the faith and even such formations as queer polygamy. The book also reveals how the MTA’s speculative account of God and technology together has helped to forestall some of the social pressure that comes with apostasy in much of the Mormon Intermountain West. A fascinating ethnography of a group with much to say about crucial junctures of modern culture, Machines for Making Gods illustrates how the scientific imagination can be better understood when viewed through anthropological accounts of myth.

Author : Adrienne Mayor
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 294 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2020-04-21
Category : History
ISBN : 9780691202266

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Gods and Robots by Adrienne Mayor Pdf

Traces the story of how ancient cultures envisioned artificial life, automata, self-moving devices and human enhancements, sharing insights into how the mythologies of the past related to and shaped ancient machine innovations.

Author : Oisín McGann
Publisher : Tor Books
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2006-07
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 0765350289

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Gods and Their Machines by Oisín McGann Pdf

Author : Minsoo Kang
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 387 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2011-02-14
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780674059412

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Sublime Dreams of Living Machines by Minsoo Kang Pdf

From the dawn of European civilization to the twentieth century, the automaton—better known today as the robot—has captured the Western imagination and provided a vital lens into the nature of humanity. Historian Minsoo Kang argues that to properly understand the human-as-machine and the human-as-fundamentally-different-from-machine, we must trace the origins of these ideas and examine how they were transformed by intellectual, cultural, and artistic appearances of the automaton throughout the history of the West. Kang tracks the first appearance of the automaton in ancient myths through the medieval and Renaissance periods, marks the proliferation of the automaton as a central intellectual concept in the Scientific Revolution and the subsequent backlash during the Enlightenment, and details appearances in Romantic literature and the introduction of the living machine in the Industrial Age. He concludes with a reflection on the destructive confrontation between humanity and machinery in the modern era and the reverberations of the humanity-machinery theme today. Sublime Dreams of Living Machines is an ambitious historical exploration and, at heart, an attempt to fully elucidate the rich and varied ways we have utilized our most uncanny creations to explore essential questions about ourselves.

Author : Dean A. Kowalski,Chris Lay,Kimberly S. Engels
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 2127 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2024-04
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9783031246852

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The Palgrave Handbook of Popular Culture as Philosophy by Dean A. Kowalski,Chris Lay,Kimberly S. Engels Pdf

Much philosophical work on pop culture apologises for its use; using popular culture is a necessary evil, something merely useful for reaching the masses with important philosophical arguments. But works of pop culture are important in their own right--they shape worldviews, inspire ideas, change minds. We wouldn't baulk at a book dedicated to examining the philosophy of The Great Gatsby or 1984--why aren't Star Trek and Superman fair game as well? After all, when produced, the former were considered pop culture just as much as the latter. This will be the first major reference work to right that wrong, gathering together entries on film, television, games, graphic novels and comedy, and officially recognizing the importance of the field. It will be the go-to resource for students and researchers in philosophy, culture, media and communications, English and history and will act as a springboard to introduce the reader to the other key literature in the field.

Author : Bhimeswara Challa
Publisher :
Page : 398 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2021-06-29
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Man’s Fate and God’s Choice by Bhimeswara Challa Pdf

Stagnate as a 'creepy caterpillar' or transform into a 'beauteous butterfly'-this path-breaking book of a rare genre suggests-is the seminal choice before mankind, and every one of us. In this setting, the book raises some fundamental questions: What is man's rightful place in the cosmos and his manifest destiny on earth? Why are we so self-righteously self-destructive? Are we a doomed species? Or 'divine' beings struggling to overcome the hubris of the human intellect? Is God getting weary of mankind? How should we synergize human effort and Divine Grace? The book posits that any betterment in human behavior needs a cathartic change at the deepest levels. That requires diluting the dominance of the mind and reawakening the long-dormant intelligence of the human heart. To meet that challenge, we need minimum numbers, a 'critical mass' to create self-sustained momentum for transformation through consciousness change. And every single human of this generation should behave in such a way that he or she is that single person whose transformation could make the decisive species-scale difference. The book offers a menu of ideas and an agenda of action. This book could be itself become an input to mobilize that very 'critical mass' it advocates for human transformation. Well-planned and cohesively written, the book is noteworthy for its delightful blend of information and arguments, and reveals the depth of the author’s understanding of the human predicament... This is a closely argued and thought-provoking book... The Hindu, 13 Sept 2011 [This book] is a gripping exposition on human nature and self-transformation without preference to religion... Challa has critically provided a foundational argument for a deeper discussion of philosophical and practical ideals concerning self-transformation... harmonizing the head and the heart is the way for humans to function as spiritual beings. Recommended by the USR. The US Review of Books [The author] reflects upon the crisis of contemporary civilizations and outlines a blueprint for a new world order based on progressive spiritual values and change of human consciousness. The strength of this treatise is the sweep of Challa’s reach and his treatment of a vastly complex set of issues that bedevil humankind today... India International Center Quarterly, Summer 2012 As a thinker and erudite scholar, [the author] has made a profound study of the world situation and the moral decadence of man... [This book] deserves to be on the shelves of university, college and public libraries... Triveni Magazine, July–Sept 2011 It is difficult to pigeon-hole this book as... a ‘prophetic discourse’, a ‘journey into the human mind’, a ‘guide for human survival’, a ‘spiritual treatise’. It is an amalgam of all these and more... the volume reaches out to those who are already uneasy about the way we on this earth are progressing. The Book Review, India, June 2013

Author : Xavier Vasques
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 516 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2024-03-06
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9781394220618

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Machine Learning Theory and Applications by Xavier Vasques Pdf

Enables readers to understand mathematical concepts behind data engineering and machine learning algorithms and apply them using open-source Python libraries Machine Learning Theory and Applications delves into the realm of machine learning and deep learning, exploring their practical applications by comprehending mathematical concepts and implementing them in real-world scenarios using Python and renowned open-source libraries. This comprehensive guide covers a wide range of topics, including data preparation, feature engineering techniques, commonly utilized machine learning algorithms like support vector machines and neural networks, as well as generative AI and foundation models. To facilitate the creation of machine learning pipelines, a dedicated open-source framework named hephAIstos has been developed exclusively for this book. Moreover, the text explores the fascinating domain of quantum machine learning and offers insights on executing machine learning applications across diverse hardware technologies such as CPUs, GPUs, and QPUs. Finally, the book explains how to deploy trained models through containerized applications using Kubernetes and OpenShift, as well as their integration through machine learning operations (MLOps). Additional topics covered in Machine Learning Theory and Applications include: Current use cases of AI, including making predictions, recognizing images and speech, performing medical diagnoses, creating intelligent supply chains, natural language processing, and much more Classical and quantum machine learning algorithms such as quantum-enhanced Support Vector Machines (QSVMs), QSVM multiclass classification, quantum neural networks, and quantum generative adversarial networks (qGANs) Different ways to manipulate data, such as handling missing data, analyzing categorical data, or processing time-related data Feature rescaling, extraction, and selection, and how to put your trained models to life and production through containerized applications Machine Learning Theory and Applications is an essential resource for data scientists, engineers, and IT specialists and architects, as well as students in computer science, mathematics, and bioinformatics. The reader is expected to understand basic Python programming and libraries such as NumPy or Pandas and basic mathematical concepts, especially linear algebra.

Author : Thomas Gray
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 818 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 1810
Category : Electronic
ISBN : BL:A0017797688

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The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray. With the Life of the Author, by Samuel Johnson by Thomas Gray Pdf

Author : Mike Hockney
Publisher : Magus Books
Page : 729 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2024-05-22
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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The War of the Ghosts and Machines by Mike Hockney Pdf

Are you a ghost or a machine? You don't need to be a superstitious believer to support the side of the ghosts. Machine people reduce everything to lifeless, mindless, purposeless atoms of matter: the ultimate little machines. For "ghost" people, reality reduces to dimensionless, mathematical singularities, which are none other than the hyperrational monadic souls posited by Pythagoras and Leibniz. Ghost people subscribe to atoms (minds) with atomic number zero, i.e. minds/souls are made of massless, dimensionless photons. Machine people start with hydrogen atoms, with atomic number one. All "ghost" entities are associated with zero and infinity. All machine people deny the existence of zero and infinity. Mathematically, these are the two numbers where the ghosts and the machines collide head on. This book is all about demonstrating that there are indeed ghosts in the machines.

Author : Sabina Jeschke,Christian Brecher,Houbing Song,Danda B. Rawat
Publisher : Springer
Page : 715 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2016-10-12
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9783319425597

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Industrial Internet of Things by Sabina Jeschke,Christian Brecher,Houbing Song,Danda B. Rawat Pdf

This book develops the core system science needed to enable the development of a complex industrial internet of things/manufacturing cyber-physical systems (IIoT/M-CPS). Gathering contributions from leading experts in the field with years of experience in advancing manufacturing, it fosters a research community committed to advancing research and education in IIoT/M-CPS and to translating applicable science and technology into engineering practice. Presenting the current state of IIoT and the concept of cybermanufacturing, this book is at the nexus of research advances from the engineering and computer and information science domains. Readers will acquire the core system science needed to transform to cybermanufacturing that spans the full spectrum from ideation to physical realization.

Author : Alexander Chalmers
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 766 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 1810
Category : Classical literature
ISBN : IOWA:31858005762772

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English Translations from Ancient and Modern Poems by Alexander Chalmers Pdf

Author : C. Jay Crisostomo,Eduardo A. Escobar,Terri Tanaka,Niek Veldhuis
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 474 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2018-07-17
Category : History
ISBN : 9789004363380

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"The Scaffolding of Our Thoughts" by C. Jay Crisostomo,Eduardo A. Escobar,Terri Tanaka,Niek Veldhuis Pdf

Francesca Rochberg has for more than thirty-five years been a leading figure in the study of ancient science. “The Scaffolding of Our Thoughts” honors this luminary with twenty essays, each reflecting on aspects of her work.

Author : Alexander Chalmers
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 764 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 1810
Category : English poetry
ISBN : HARVARD:HWJRW1

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The Works of the English Poets, from Chaucer to Cowper by Alexander Chalmers Pdf

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 860 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 1810
Category : Electronic
ISBN : BSB:BSB10747035

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The Works of the English Poets from Chaucer to Cowper by Anonim Pdf