02/07/2026 17:20 - 19:30

HALL: Parenzo - A18

Contact: Cavallin C.

Chair: Juurikkala O.

The Thomistic tradition is currently experiencing a revival within philosophy and theology. However, recent developments within artificial intelligence raise questions about the nature of cognition, abstract thought, artifacts, the soul, and the notion of imago Dei that seem to challenge Thomistic conceptions and favor materialist stances.
For example, assuming that AI agents will eventually outperform human beings in most areas, would it still be intellectually viable to hold that artificial intelligence is merely a simulacrum of intelligence and that artificial agents lack true insight and understanding? Can the Thomistic view that abstract thought requires an immaterial medium (a rational soul) be sustained? Is the Aristotelian-Thomistic dichotomy between "natural substances" and "artifacts" able to account for the nature of potentially superintelligent AI-agents? How is the relationship between AI-agents and their human creators to be conceived, and to what extent will the AI-revolution force us to reconceive what it means to be created in the image of God?
These questions concern human uniqueness and have social consequences regarding agency, autonomy, and the future of work. Human dignity and equality need to be reestablished in relation to a social life that includes increasingly competent simulations of human rationality and creativity. The panel is dedicated to discussing whether the Thomistic tradition, broadly understood, offers valuable insights for Christian reflections on the ontological, anthropological, and social implications of AI, or whether Thomism is of limited use due to its Aristotelian background, especially as regards natural sciences and technology.