[Don Salmon]

Interesting. My understanding of systems theory and other recent developments showing interconnectedness is that they remain within the materialist view (I think Iain mentions this in the closing chapters of TMWT). My sense is the same limitation occurs within AI. Interestingly, the leading Idealist (non materialist) thinker in the world, Bernardo Kastrup, has doctorates in both computer science and philosophy of mind, and has worked with some of the world’s leading AI specialists. Bernardo is as convinced as ever that (a) AI will never “understand” consciousness’ and (b) the question of whether AI is “conscious” is a moot point, since nothing exists but consciousness!

In any case, one cannot “think” (either implicitly or explicitly) about such things and come to a conclusion. At least, I should say a bit more humbly, that’s my understanding of how the contemplatives of the world view it.

I’ll definitely start that new group. Maybe “Practicing the Kingdom of Heaven, Yoga, Buddhism, Tantra, Kabbalah, Sufism, and more – inspired by TMWT”