Book Review: God, Human, Animal, Machine by Meghan O'Gieblyn

Though published a few years ago now (2021), in my opinion, God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning is becoming increasingly relevant as Artificial Intelligence becomes even more ubiquitous in society. Part memoir, this book takes us on a philosophical journey examining how we make meaning in a supposedly disenchanted age. Unsurprisingly, it seems that we may just be replacing faith, with tech. O’Gieblyn asks, what does this mean for humanity, our identity, our existence?

For example, if transhumanism is successful, as proponents like the futurist Ray Kurzweil imagines in his book The Singularity is Nearer: When We Merge With AI, will this lead us into a brave new world, or will we just create tech in our image - like we arguably once did with God - only to eventually become disenchanted all over again? Or will transhumanism lead us to a better understanding of consciousness, and help us to make new discoveries about the nature of the human ‘soul’? Will AI extend our lives indefinitely; will we have no need for thoughts of an afterlife, or of God? Or is technology destined to be like a new God for us – something that is beyond our understanding, something that has surpassed our comprehension, and our control?

Though at times quite personal, O’Gieblyn’s examination of our relationship with an enchanted world is really a work of criticism and philosophy. I would often finish a paragraph or a chapter and pause to ponder her insights, and the big ideas they provoke. By the time I was close to ending this book, I was savouring it. If you are at all concerned about our growing enchantment with tech, this book is absolutely a must read.