Posts

1. Introduction

In this extensive article we try to answer questions such as “who is the human person”; “what does the concept of human dignity rest on”; “what is artificial intelligence”; “whether the person can be reduced to an algorithm”; or whether “artificial intelligence can account for the transcendental character of the human spirit, for its state of transcendental openness to the absolute, given that it is the Absolute itself that produces it”. These questions, and others that will arise along the way, are the subject of this work.

There are questions that, because of their radical nature, strike us, prompt us to pause and reflect, and present themselves as valid questions—questions born of authentic thought that opens the way to inquiry and the search for new ideas and perspectives. These are not rhetorical questions, but genuine ones that tap into the desire for truth and point the way forward.

The question that gives this post its title—posed by Pope Leo XIV in the introduction to the book “Disarmed and Disarming” ¹—is a crucial question for every person and calls for ethical responsibility. Can the human race continue to inhabit the Earth by recklessly exploiting its resources, plundering it, and applying the logic of domination and profit, while continuing to bring destruction and death through the countless wars that ravage the planet? Does war make sense? What about global rearmament? Is peace possible?

Some Notes on the Concept of Dignity ¹

Being a person is not something added on; it is not a quality or characteristic of the human being: it is the very way in which a human being exists, the very essence of their being. Dignity is not tied to moral, physical, or intellectual qualities, but simply to the fact that the person “is”—to the fact that, as an individual of the human species, they occupy an absolutely special place in creation.

The Declaration of Human Rights did not stem from any specific philosophical or religious stance, but rather emerged in response to the great horrors of World War II. Since the articles of the Declaration make fairly precise prescriptions regarding the political system, it would not be logical—unless one wishes to fall into circular reasoning—to seek the foundation of the Declaration in the very political ideal it proposes. However, despite this form of “ideological neutrality,” even a first glance at the text reveals some of the document’s underlying assumptions.

This three part series explores the historic cycles of humanity’s return to a just social order and the nature and role of Freedom in Integral Development through the lens of the mystic inner life. The first and second part in “Essays”

The Inner Life Compels the Work of Integral Development
Now in the image of God, we must next take on the likeness of God and our cares expand exponentially beyond our small scope of self, of family, of community, of nation–to that of all humanity. Beholding all creation from the vantage point of Freedom, we are urged to create. We begin to sense the requisite next action: to bring beauty and order to God’s creation in all its aspects, for every person, and in all creatures, in every system, in every sphere: Integral Development.
This new ultraconscious state is characterized by Absolute Freedom. Absolute Freedom is the consequence of achieving total equilibrium with the Source. It is the natural state that arises, as it is designed to arise, from the path that achieves perfect reflection of the Absolute. It is an emergent state of one who sees the face of God and still lives. It is the purpose of the vesica piscis: the place between from which new creation passes through, where spirit manifests into the physical realm. Behold the birth of the new man, birthing the Earth anew!

A dear friend asked me what I think about global public health issues.

My first reaction—considering that I belong to the generation that grew up watching Mike Bongiorno’s Rischiatutto on TV (which was the Italian prototype for television game shows modeled after those from the U.S. in the 1940s and 1950s)—was: “A million-dollar question!”.

Bearing in mind that among the most widely accepted definitions of public health are: “The science and art of improving the health of the population through organized societal efforts” (Acheson, 1988; WHO, 2000), but also: “ The process of mobilizing the local, regional, national, and international resources necessary to ensure the conditions under which all people can be in good health” (Breslow and Detels, 1991), it is clear that we are essentially talking about something very important and very complex, all the more so if the reference framework adopted is the global one—that is, one that concerns the health of all peoples across the entire planet.

This three part series explores the historic cycles of humanity’s return to a just social order and the nature and role of Freedom in Integral Development through the lens of the mystic inner life. The first parte in “Essays”

Part II: Freedom Emerges from the Inner Life

Divine design shows us that Freedom is not an a priori condition, but an emergent condition. True Freedom is not a political right granted by a state document, but a spiritual byproduct of a soul coming into purity and alignment with the Divine Design. Freedom, in the divine order, is rather the effect, or the resultant state, of the interior life of prayer, meditation, and union with the Creator. It is the emergent state of a mind in habit of contemplation of Jesus Christ, who is the perfect reflection and living expression, in complete oneness with God the Father. This contemplation of the pure love of Christ for the Father, in turn purifies the interior state of the thoughts of the mind and aims the will toward the desires of God the Father. This contemplation returns our gaze to the Source of Light–whereas, in contrast, humanistic Enlightenment thinking focused our gaze on the outer reaches of any ray of light we so chose to follow away from the Source. Hence the rise of our cancerous multiplicity,¹ which of course, we were free to follow.