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3 - Hinduism and Artificial Intelligence

from Part I - Religions and AI

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2024

By
Robert M. Geraci  and
Stephen Kaplan
Edited by
Beth Singler  and
Fraser Watts
Beth Singler
Affiliation:
Universität Zürich
Fraser Watts
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

This chapter explores the intersection of Hindu philosophy and practice with the development of artificial intelligence (AI). The chapter first introduces aspects of technological growth in Hindu contexts, including the reception of ‘Western’ ideas about AI in Hindu communities before describing key elements of the Hindu traditions. It then shows how AI technologies can be conceived of from a Hindu perspective and moves from there to the philosophical contributions Hinduism offers for global reflection on AI. Specifically, the chapter describes openings and contentions for AI in Hindu rituals. The focus is the use of robotics and/or AI in Hindu pūjā (worship of gods) and the key practice of darśan (mutual seeing) with the divine. Subsequently, the chapter investigates how Hindu philosophers have engaged the distinctive qualities of human beings and their investigation into body, minds and consciousness/awareness. The chapter concludes by raising questions for future research.

Keywords

Advaita Vedantadarshanhard problemJainismKalkimind–bodyNyayapuja
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Companion to Religion and Artificial Intelligence , pp. 33 - 49
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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References

Bibliography

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Further Reading

Adas, Michael. 1989. Machines as the Measure of Men: Science, Technology, and Ideologies of Western Dominance. Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
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Cort, John. 2012. “Situating Darśan: Seeing the Digambar Jina Icon in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century North India.” International Journal of Hindu Studies 16(1), 1–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Geraci, Robert M. 2018. Temples of Modernity: Nationalism, Hinduism, and Transhumanism in South Indian Science. Lexington.Google Scholar
Jacobs, Stephen. 2012. “Communicating Hinduism in a Changing Media Context.” Religion Compass 6(2), 136–151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jaini, Padmanabh S. 1979. The Jaina Path of Purification. University of California Press.Google Scholar
Kinsley, David R. 1993. Hinduism: A Cultural Perspective. Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
LeDoux, Joseph. 2019. The Deep History of Ourselves: The Four Billion-Year Story of How We Got Conscious Brains. Viking.Google Scholar
Michaels, Axel. 2016. Homo Ritualis: Hindu Ritual and Its Significance for Ritual Theory. Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parthasarathi, Prasannan. 2011. Why Europe Grew Rich and Asia Did Not: Global Economic Divergence, 1600–1850. Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sinha, Jadunath. 1958. Indian Psychology, vol. 1. Sinha Publishing House.Google Scholar
Subbarayappa, Bidare. V. 2013. Science in India: A Historical Perspective. Sage.Google Scholar

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