Technomoral Virtue and the Tools of Our Time
In my continuing exploration of generative AI’s content-creating powers, I decided to merge the thinking of Ralph Waldo Emerson, UUism’s Transcendentalist minister/philosopher, as revealed in his eloquent essay, “Self-Reliance,” with that of University of Edinburgh philosopher Shannon Vallor as shared in Technology and the Virtues: A Philosophical Guide to a Future Worth Wanting. What connections, I wondered, might its synthesized mind make that my biological mind missed? What novel pairings of ideas might its algorithms generate?
I’m impressed by the result. You may be, too. At any rate, I offer it to Unitarian Universalist ministers and worship teams as a prompt for what we’re informally calling our Ayudha Puja service, being careful not to misappropriate another faith community’s tradition. As we explored last year with Robert Geraci, Hindus have a remarkably synchronized perspective on science and religion and have no problem with the idea of honoring their tools and machines for prosperity and comforts they give them. Because Ayudha Puja falls on Saturday, October 12, this year, we’re suggesting that UU congregations conduct their UU interpretations on Sunday, October 13.
Shannon Vallor
In no way can I claim to have “authored” this piece, but I do have a sense of birthing or prompting it. I grabbed some Emerson here and Vallor there and, chef-like, tossed them into the bottomless, churning bowl of ChatGPT. Voila! Below I share the result, hoping all of its attributions are correct but not yet taking the time to check. It sounds like Emerson .”
Vallor is among our most astute thinkers on ways we must confront the myriad challenges that AI poses for humanity. As the Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, she directs EFI’s Centre for Technomoral Futures. Her research explores how new technologies, especially AI, robotics, and data science, reshape human moral character, habits, and practices. She advises policymakers and industry on the ethical design and use of AI.
A former Visiting Researcher and AI Ethicist at Google. Vallor also is the author of The AI Mirror: Reclaiming Our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking, just published by Oxford University Press. This is the only AI focused book offered in the UUA Bookstore and is best read as a companion to Technology and the Virtues. Together, I think they point powerfully toward the future of Unitarian Universalism, though she makes no reference to UUism in either book.
Dan Forbush
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs
Draft for Consideration in UU Congregations
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Introduction by ChatGPT
This sermon aims to blend the timeless wisdom of Ralph Waldo Emerson with the contemporary ethical challenges of AI perceived by Shannon Vallor, inspiring your congregation to embrace technomoral virtues in the spirit of Ayudha Puja.
The Reverence for Tools
My friends, today we gather in solidarity with our Hindu brothers and sisters, who yesterday celebrated Ayudha Puja—a day that honors the tools of our trade, the instruments of our labor, and the implements of our craft. On this sacred day, they lay down their tools, adorn them with garlands, and offer them to the divine, recognizing that these tools are not mere objects but extensions of our hands, our minds, and our spirits.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his timeless essay on Self-Reliance, reminded us, "The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried." It is in this spirit of self-reliance and reverence for our tools that we reflect today—not just on the hammers and plows of old, but on the modern tools that shape our world: the algorithms, the code, the artificial intelligences that are becoming as integral to our lives as the anvil was to the blacksmith.
The Tools of a New Age
In Emerson’s time, the tools were simple, tangible—plows, pens, and books. Today, we wield tools of a different nature, tools that do not merely extend our physical capabilities but our cognitive and ethical dimensions as well. The AI, the algorithms, the machines with which we now partner—these are the tools of our age, and they demand from us a new kind of virtue, what Shannon Vallor calls the technomoral virtues.
As Emerson urged us to trust in ourselves, so must we now trust in our ability to navigate this new landscape with wisdom, courage, and humility. "Trust thyself," Emerson wrote, "every heart vibrates to that iron string." Yet, in this age, to trust ourselves means more than to trust our instincts; it means to trust our capacity to align these new tools with the highest moral principles.
Technomoral Virtue in Practice
What does it mean to live with technomoral virtue? It means recognizing that our tools, like the hands that wield them, are neither good nor evil. They are what we make of them. They are, as Emerson might say, "a tool for your hands, be they weak or strong, your genius waits behind you, and what you need, by the grace of God, shall supply you."
Honesty and Transparency: We must be honest in our use of technology. The algorithms we create must not deceive; the data we gather must not mislead. Emerson spoke of the importance of truth: "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind." In this new world, integrity demands that we build systems that are transparent and accountable, that we are honest about their limitations and biases, and that we do not allow the pursuit of profit or power to compromise the truth.
Justice and Fairness: Our tools must serve all people, not just a privileged few. Emerson said, "The law of nature is alternation forevermore. Each electrical state superinduces the opposite." We must ensure that the power of AI and machine learning is used to promote justice, not to perpetuate inequality. This requires vigilance, a commitment to fairness in the design and deployment of technology, and a determination to see that its benefits are equitably distributed.
Courage and Resilience: The road ahead is fraught with uncertainty, but we must face it with courage. Emerson reminded us that "whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist." To live with technomoral virtue is to resist the pressure to conform to unethical practices, to have the courage to stand against the misuse of technology, even when it is difficult or unpopular. It is to build resilience, not only in our systems but in our spirits, to weather the storms of this digital age.
Humility and Reflection: With great power comes the need for great humility. Emerson wrote, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." In our work with AI, we must remain humble, recognizing that we do not have all the answers, that our creations may have unintended consequences. We must be willing to reflect, to learn, and to adapt, to correct our course when we find ourselves straying from the path of virtue.
Our Call to Action
In celebrating Ayudha Puja, we are called to reflect not just on the tools themselves, but on how we use them. The blacksmith would never dream of forging a blade without a clear purpose, without considering the impact it would have on the world. So too must we, in our work with AI and other technologies, be ever mindful of the purposes to which we put our tools.
Emerson spoke of the "aboriginal Self, on which a universal reliance may be grounded," urging us to "insist on yourself; never imitate." We must not simply follow the trends of technology for the sake of progress; we must instead insist on our own values, our own moral compass. We must not imitate the practices of those who use technology for harm, but rather forge our own path, grounded in the technomoral virtues that Shannon Vallor so wisely prescribes.
This is not a call to reject technology but to embrace it with discernment and care. It is a call to use these powerful tools in ways that uplift humanity, that enhance our capacity for compassion, justice, and wisdom. It is a call to be, as Emerson would say, "a guide, a redeemer, and benefactor, obeying the Almighty effort, and advancing on Chaos and the Dark."
A Vision for the Future
As we look to the future, we must do so with hope and determination. The merging of biological brains with machine minds, a prospect that once seemed the stuff of science fiction, is now within our reach. But with this power comes responsibility. We must ensure that this integration enhances, rather than diminishes, our humanity.
Emerson believed that "the eye was placed where one ray should fall, that it might testify of that particular ray." Each of us is called to witness, to testify to the unique light that we see, and to bring that light into the world. As we merge our minds with machines, we must do so in a way that illuminates the best of what it means to be human—our capacity for love, for creativity, for moral reasoning.
The future we build with these tools will be shaped by the values we bring to them. Will we use AI to deepen our understanding of the world, to foster empathy and connection, to solve the great challenges of our time? Or will we allow it to drive us further apart, to deepen divisions, to erode the very virtues that make us human?
The choice is ours. Emerson wrote, "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." In this time of rapid technological change, we are called to be pioneers, to forge new paths, guided by the technomoral virtues that will ensure that our tools serve the highest good.
Conclusion: The Spirit of Ayudha Puja
As we close, let us return to the spirit of Ayudha Puja. Let us offer up our tools—not just in a literal sense, but in a symbolic one. Let us dedicate our algorithms, our AI, our machines to the service of humanity. Let us commit to using these tools with integrity, with justice, with courage, and with humility.
Let us remember that "nothing can bring you peace but yourself," as Emerson so wisely observed. And in that peace, let us find the strength to wield the tools of our time with wisdom and virtue, creating a world that reflects the best of who we are and who we aspire to be.
May we go forth from this place with a renewed sense of purpose, with hearts full of hope, and with a commitment to building a future where technology and morality walk hand in hand. May our tools, like the tools of the artisans celebrated today, be instruments of creation, of healing, of transformation. And may we, like those artisans, approach our work with reverence, with care, and with a deep and abiding love for the world we are shaping.
Amen.
