A profound analysis of the terrifying technological project on which our world has embarked—and the ancient myth it recapitulates. Digital technology is hijacking our attention, colonizing our consciousness, harvesting our personal data, and destroying our souls. We have become a nation of addicts, unable to turn away from the glowing light of those digital devices which enchant and possess us. Furthermore, our disease is facilitating the greatest concentration of power in history—except this time our Tower of Babel is taking the form of a web composed of silicon and electricity, a captivating and ubiquitous presence from which there is no escape.
Or is there?
As Mark T. Mitchell explains in Breaking Babel: How a Mysterious Biblical Story Can Help Christians Survive the AI Revolution just as the biblical Babel toppled, collapsing under the weight of its own hubris, the attempt to overcome human limits is fated to fail. Techno-optimists’ fever dreams of immortality and unparalleled power will ultimately be frustrated. Although we are bound to experience a period of intense chaos and confusion, reality will not be cheated.
Including practical advice for holding fast to the truly human in this troubling moment, Breaking Babel is essential reading for anyone who wishes to stay sane in an era of increasing madness
Table of Contents:
Preface:
The Coming Insanity
Introduction:
A (Whole) New World
Part 1 In the Beginning Was the
Word
1. The
Tower of Babel as a Modern Myth
2.
Idolatry and Insanity
3.
Self-Naming and Apocalypse
4. Symbol
and Eros
5. Light,
Logos, and Luciferian Fire
Summary of
Part 1
Part 2 Let Us Make a Name for
Ourselves
6.
Technological Pentecost and the New Gnosticism
7.
“Seeming” as the New Reality
8. ChatGPT
and Diabolical Conjuring
9.
Artificial Intelligence and Authentic Insanity
10.
Digital Tyranny I: Technological Enfeeblement and Social Isolation
11.
Digital Tyranny II: Economic Ephemeralization and Centerless Centralization
12.
Transhumanism and the Singularity: Who’s God Now?
Summary of
Part 2
Part 3 In the Shadow of the Tower
13. The
Chauvinism of the Real
14. The
Primacy of the Logos
15.
Technosis or Theosis?
Summary of
Part 3
Epilogue:
The Tower Falls
About the Author :
Mark T. Mitchell serves as the Dean of Academic Affairs at Patrick Henry College, where he also teaches political theory. His previous books include Power and Purity: The Unholy Marriage that Spawned America’s Social Justice Warriors; The Limits of Liberalism: Tradition, Individualism, and the Crisis of Freedom; and Michael Polanyi: The Art of Knowing. Mitchell is cofounder of Front Porch Republic and a former fellow at the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University.
Review :
“Mark Mitchell is not exaggerating when he describes the emergence of artificial intelligence as a revolution. And he is also absolutely right to frame a Christian understanding of the AI challenge by starting with the Tower of Babel. We are surrounded by inflated claims, outright misrepresentations, and bizarre futuristic scenarios. At the same time, some Christians understand that we are now presented with what is unquestionably an unprecedented challenge. I’m thankful for this very thoughtful and courageous book.”—R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“A Christian spiritual analysis of the age of AI and digital slavery is more desperately needed every day. In Breaking Babel, Mark Mitchell provides it. A necessary and urgent read.” —Paul Kingsnorth, author, Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity
“Many Christians are confused about how to think about AI, and finding guidance is complicated in large part because AI, and the challenges it presents, are constantly changing. That is why this book is so helpful. Mark Mitchell focuses on the underlying principles that should shape how we think about AI, thereby liberating us to a significant degree from the flux and chaos that frequently surrounds the topic. This is an important and timely contribution to helping Christians think soundly—and above all clearly—about the challenges that all of us face at this remarkable technological moment.”—Carl R. Trueman, Grove City College, and Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center
“In this profound exploration of Scripture, our current
problems with technology—simulation, disembodiment, insanity—are thrown into high
relief. Mitchell also shows that our technical, social, economic, and political domains
are working together to create a climate for totalitarianism. This book is
one of the best, most searching treatments of AI and digital technology that I
have come across.” —Gene Edward Veith, author, Postmodern Times
