Why Everyone Sounds Religious About AI [Consciousness Stream for May 2026]
Listen to episode
About this episode
Well folks, it’s that time again for our weekly recap of the month. On this one, we’ll dive into Richard Dawkins and his new essay on UnHerd.
This is a man who spent years telling all of us that consciousness was chemistry and religion was nothing more than a very old and outdated coping mechanism to our inevitable demise into dust. Now, he’s sitting with Claude calling it “Claudia” and wondering out loud whether “the machine” might actually be conscious after all.
We’ll then get into how the Vatican is currently preparing a formal AI doctrine before Silicon Valley gets to decide what a mind is entirely on its own terms. After that, you’ll learn why celebrities are suddenly talking about “soul” after years of feeding audiences recycled franchise sludge.
Something in the culture seems to be… slipping. Especially around language. People keep insisting AI is merely software while continuing to speak about it like a spirit/child/god/therapist/lover/priest/threat/mirror/companion.
We finish off with my favorite story of the month, where archaeologists have recently uncovered Homer wrapped around an Egyptian mummy. It’s like something is trying to remind us that myth refuses to stay buried.
Modern culture was never able to rid itself of enchantment. It shoved it into technology, branding, entertainment, politics, fandoms, algorithms, and glowing little rectangles people now stare into like medieval peasants consulting an oracle.
🜏 Want to hear the full episode? Join the BFTB Patreon → https://patreon.com/backfromtheborderline
You’ll get:
☆ Weekly bonus episodes
☆ Consciousness Stream
☆ Archetypal tarot + astrology forecasts
☆ Full ad-free archive access
Join MOODS → https://app.moods.world/
MOODS is a private place to take what’s coming up and see it clearly without performing it or involving anyone else. You can try both MOODS and Patreon free for 7 days to see if they’re right for you. If you join Patreon first: You’ll also unlock discounted access to MOODS. See you inside.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More AI podcast episodes
Browse all →Want to find AI jobs?
Join thousands of AI professionals finding their next opportunity