A philosopher reflects on human uniqueness. Peter and Susannah speak with L. M. Sacasas, the philosopher behind The Convivial Society newsletter, about artificial intelligence, consciousness, and what it means to be human.

What are the new ChatGPT large language models? Is this AI? What’s the relationship between the philosophical questions regarding AI and other philosophical questions about whether human consciousness requires the immateriality of the intellect?

What are the dangers of AI? Leaving aside the question of physical danger to humans, what will the increasing ubiquity of AIs do to human civilization and self-conception?

Finally, what’s the relationship between AIs and the human tendency towards idolatry?

Eleanor Parker reflects on the Anglo-Saxon poem, The Dream of the Rood.

An Oxford medievalist discusses the Anglo-Saxon poem The Dream of the Rood. Peter and Susannah bring on Eleanor Parker to discuss this poetic portrayal of the crucifixion from the point of view of the cross.

They discuss the medieval vision of the world, linked as it was to the cycles of the seasons, and talk about the way that nineteenth century speculations about the Pagan roots of Easter reveal a misunderstanding of the Anglo-Saxon worldview. The desire to connect to nature that is at the root of the search for putative pagan origins overlooks the way in which Christianity and Judaism themselves are deeply rooted in the natural world.

Dr. Parker then gives listeners a brief tour of the Springtime of the Anglo-Saxon year, and tells us what her favorite Spring holiday is.

Rick Warren, a pastor, reflects on how we should respond to our own suffering and pain and that of others.

It’s the most famous story in history. Alastair Roberts helps us read the Gospels’ accounts of Jesus’ death with fresh eyes. 

First, he looks at the parallels to the Exodus, and examines what it means for Christ to be the Passover Lamb. Then, he looks at the Passion as apocalypse, as nativity, as romance, as enthronement, and as rebirth.

Then, he examines the truly scandalous nature of the Crucifixion, and, in light of Paul’s teaching on it, asks what it means that the lives of Christians should be fundamentally marked out by that scandal.

Finally, he gives advice on practices of reading attentively as a way of observing Holy Week.

Navid Kermani reports from south Madagascar, where farming families battle to survive a lethal drought caused by climate change.

Joy Clarkson and William P. Hyland discuss why the Oberammergau Passion Play disappoints and how artists have imagined Jesus’ crucifixion.

The hosts and guests also discuss Joy’s visit to the Oberammergau passion play, its history, and the antisemitism that had marred it.

They talk too about the most recent rewrite: the scriptwriter, as he removed the antisemitism, chose also to remove also any supernatural or religious content.

They consider the changes in Medieval practices of piety – why was there such an increased emphasis on subjective compassion, emotional participation in the sufferings of Christ, after the turn of the millennium, and what was the origin of the increasing tendency to emphasize his humanity?

Then, the guests recommend favorite pieces of art for Holy Week contemplation.

Randall Gauger, a pastor at the Bruderhof, lost his son to cancer. He writes about his search for answers to the problem of pain.

How did the crucifixion of Jesus change how humanity thinks about suffering? Peter Mommsen speaks with the well-known historian about the way that Christianity challenged and transformed classical ideas about suffering and the good life.

They discuss the contrast between the story of Laocoön and of the crucifixion of Saint Peter, as portrayed in two contrasting artworks in the Vatican. Then they discuss the nature of crucifixion, how pain was seen by the Romans, and the utterly subversive way in which Christianity transformed the understanding of suffering in the West.

They talk about why it took so long for it to become common to portray Jesus suffering on the cross in Christian art, and how late medieval understandings of the self and the body contributed to this, and explore the ways that contemporary political movements incorporate Christian ideas outside of the context of Christianity.

Finally, they look at the lives of several exemplary Christians, whose lives of redemptive suffering in imitation of Christ make no sense except under the paradigm of the Christian transformation of the meaning of suffering. 

Louise Perry writes that the threat of climate change makes some people hesitant to have children.