Philip Lawler

Do AI pioneers really believe that they are creating (and “creating” would be the proper word here) a new race of conscious beings?

No, Claude is not conscious, and never will be. No, an AI system cannot be a morally responsible actor. The fact that the creators of these systems are (or claim to be) uncertain about these issues is profoundly unsettling. They are offering us a very powerful tool—that much is unquestioned—and yet they are not sure whether in the long run we will use the tool or the tool will use us.

catholicculture.org/commentary/dan…

The CatholicCulture site has launched a Pledge against AI Catholic Content and Text (PAACCT), and invites all Catholic writers, editors, publishers, artists, and others involved in communications to add their names to the (already impressive) list of signatories.

The goal here is not merely transparency, although that is important enough. It is a question of charity: of caring for one another. As the preamble to the PAACCT states:

“Communication is communion. To delegate one’s communication to a large language model is to withhold oneself, to refuse to risk oneself, and this is in bad faith insofar as one expects the recipient to bring himself, his time, and his effort to something which no self took the time and effort to create. Instead of the true community of self-gift between minds to which every human person is ordered and entitled, the reader or audience is presented with a simulacrum, ‘turning people into passive consumers of unthought thoughts and anonymous products without ownership or love.’”

catholicculture.org/commentary/ple…

Take the Pledge!

[DRAFT] A Massachusetts bishop instructs his priests... pflawler.substack.com/p/draft-a-mass…

Here's a draft of a letter on abortion, which no bishop in Massachusetts has issued, but any bishop could.
pflawler.substack.com/p/draft-a-mass…

Cardinal McElroy uses the principles of the just-war tradition in his argument against reliance on the just-war tradition. That's not just confusing; it's confused.
What the cardinal unwittingly demonstrates is that if you're making moral arguments about warfare, you are-- like it or not-- using just-war analysis.
(That doesn't necessarily mean you're using it well.)

substack.com/profile/808542…

Has the erosion of the Catholic faith been caused, at least in part, by the natural temptation to pay more attention to the physical plants and the organizational structures than the working of the Holy Spirit? Christ’s instructions to his apostles might be taken as a reminder to travel light.

catholicculture.org/commentary/chu…

An accurate map of New England, showing dominant cultural features.

Applying the Rule of St. Benedict to a balanced perspective on immigration.
substack.com/@philipflawler…

If you live in a state where "assistance in dying" is on the legislative agenda, think about sending this story to your representatives.
dailymail.com/news/article-1…

In Massachusetts, vote No on 9-- repeal a sprawling, unenforceable gun law.

pflawler.substack.com/p/in-massachus…

How is it that the German Catholic bishops are ready to denounce a political party as “extremist” for promoting restrictions on immigration, while the American bishops are reluctant to denounce Democrats for their extreme stand on abortion?
And then: Should conservatives embrace the proposal, floated by the Trump administration, to promise federal support for stay-at-home Moms?
That and more on this week’s Home Front podcast.
pflawler.substack.com/p/the-german-b…

New York Times headline:
'How Trump Is Wielding Power to Stifle Speech'

Pot, meet kettle.

A thought on the 9/11 anniversary: Christian faith and the power of prayer have far more potential than “smart weapons” to save our society from harm.

The challenge of militant Islam is a spiritual challenge, best met by a militant Christianity.

catholicculture.org/commentary/911…

To support ANY assisted-suicide proposal entails affirming that some innocent people should be killed. That they might wish to die, and that the killing would be done by medical professionals, do not alter the fact that their lives would be taken deliberately, in violation of God’s law, which is written both in the Decalogue and on man’s heart.

catholicculture.org/commentary/fir…

There's a contest in Europe between entrenched liberal regimes and rising public disaffection. The political trend favor the populists. The key question is: How far will the regimes go-- how much will they trample on democratic process-- to retain their power?

If there is any justification at all for the German bishops’ outspoken stand, there can be no excuse for the continuing silence of the American bishops.

catholicculture.org/commentary/ger…

OK, let's simplify things. I'm in favor of a government program that would provide $100,000 annually to me.

No American Jesuit, living or dead, has written with the elegance of style, the breadth of vision, and the rapier with that characterized the work of Paul Mankowski.

So why have so few people heard of him? Therein lies a tale.

catholicculture.org/commentary/tre…

A Chinese bishop reports that the Church in that country is experiencing “a state of emergency.” Does that phrase sound familiar?

If the ‘underground’ Church is secretly ordaining bishops— faster than the ‘official’ process approved by Rome— the Vatican’s agreement with Beijing is a farce.

catholicculture.org/commentary/sen…

Vote fraud happens. The relevant question is whether the fraud was extensive enough to alter the outcome of the election.

pflawler.substack.com/p/no-evidence-…