By Serena Montefusco, UNESCO Chair Project and Communication Management.
Last May 30, at the Faculty of Economics of the Sapienza University of Rome, Prof. Don Simone Caleffi, Professor at LUMSA University and editor of the Religion editorial staff of Osservatore Romano of the Communication Dicastery, gave a Lectio Magistralis as part of the II module of the Enterprise Communication Management Course taught by Prof. Glauco Galati. For the students in the course, it was a unique opportunity to explore the topic of interreligious dialogue, specifically between Christians and Muslims, and aspects of digital communication. The aspect that we most want to analyze below concerns the evolution of interreligious dialogue among various religious traditions.
As Prof. Don Caleffi suggests, interreligious dialogue between Christianity and Islam has evolved significantly throughout history, with highlights such as the meeting between St. Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malik al-Kamil in 1219, and the important Document on Human Brotherhood for World Peace and Common Coexistence, signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar in Abu Dhabi. This document condemns violence and terrorism, promoting dialogue and cooperation between the two religions. Other documents that cannot be overlooked when speaking of Interreligious Dialogue are the Pope Francis’ Encyclicals Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti, signed in Assisi. “The absence of sincere dialogue in our public culture makes it increasingly difficult to generate a shared horizon toward which we can all move forward together. The shared horizon indicates the hope-filled direction to be able to set up the ‘common house of creation’ in a favorable way and for the good of all people, starting from a positive vision of the person, from an anthropology rooted in faith in God the Creator (cf. Laudato si’, no. 13).” Prof. Don. Caleffi goes on to emphasize that divisions and conflicts are contrary to the message of religions and, in particular, to God’s will. He continues by specifying that “a particularly strong signal from Brothers All is surely his reference to his meeting with Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb in Abu Dhabi in 2019 and the Document on Human Brotherhood for World Peace and Common Coexistence. With this reference, Pope Francis emphasizes once again that religions should not serve to divide and strengthen ideologies, but should all be at the service of the one human family, and he clearly rejects all fundamentalist attempts to instrumentalize religion for their own ends.”
In his 2020 Encyclical, Brothers All, Pope Francis highlights the many social problems of contemporary times, which could be characterized by the absence of social purpose and selfish indifference to the common good. However, the Holy Father also offers a message of hope and suggests that the world should come together through renewed dialogue and friendship. The last chapter of the encyclical examines the role of religions in promoting fraternity instead of polarization. The Encyclical was the inspiration for the international conference entitled “Responses to Fratelli Tutti from Different Religious Traditions” that the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights organized May 22-25, 2025 between Rome and Assisi, with the motive of bringing speakers together from six traditions-Christian Orthodoxy, Judaism, Islam, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Buddhism-into dialogue, offering commentary on chapters 5-8. These chapters make a more practical proposition about how political, social and religious groups can encourage a greater sense of fraternity and solidarity in our globalized reality. However, despite the challenges, the importance of persevering interreligious dialogue as a means of promoting peace and mutual understanding is paramount.
Bringing together experts from different religions creates a rare space for dialogue characterized by an atmosphere of friendship and respect. These meetings allow us to see the other as a brother or sister in our common humanity. In an increasingly globalized world, this is of paramount importance and can help eliminate suspicions that sometimes cause distrust and even violence. In order to maintain an open dialogue based on brotherhood and respect, the UNESCO Chair is preparing for the upcoming meeting “An Interreligious and Multicultural Perspective on The Nature of Medicine and the Role of Physicians” to be held at the University Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid from December 17 to 19, 2024.
The UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights, established at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum and The European University of Rome, through the project “Bioethics, Multiculturalism and Religion,” aims to promote the art of convergence and cooperation in global ethics among bioethics experts from the world’s religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Catholic and Orthodox, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and the secular perspective. The international conferences are a first step toward creating a permanent academic forum to promote bioethics dialogue and reflection in light of human rights and duties addressed from diverse religious and cultural perspectives in the ever-changing medical, legal and technological environment. Nine international conferences and workshops have been held in Jerusalem (2009), Rome (2011), Hong Kong (2013), Mexico City (2014), Houston (2016), Rome (2018), Casablanca (2019), Bangkok (2022), and Rome (2023). According to UNESCO, it is the most multicultural and interfaith academic bioethics meeting in the world, offering important benefits to experts and institutions in the field of bioethics.
30-31 May 2024 the Conference “Existential Threats and Other Disasters: How Should We Address Them” was held in Montenegro. The Conference was organized by The Center for the Study of Bioethics, The Hastings Center and The Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics.
Prof. Fr. Michael Baggot, LC, Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Bioethics, gave a speech about ‘Learning to Love Humans in the AI Apocalypse’ & Ana Maria Ganev, UNESCO Chair Assistant Researcher, about ‘Guided or Coerced: The Complex Ethics of Psychedelic Moral Enhancement’
Learning to Love Humans in the AI Apocalypse
Michael Baggot
Abstract
What if the apocalypse looks more like the film Her than the recent Oppenheimer? Perhaps humans will avoid incinerating each other only to dupe themselves into illusory emotional, romantic, and sexual attachments to their own AI inventions. These bonds would disconnect large sectors of society from reality and rid life of the noblest human interactions. New generative AI systems could so convincingly mimic human behavior that many people will settle for ersatz responses to their deepest relational needs.
No sudden explosion would alert humanity to such existential risks. Instead, ever-more sophisticated algorithms would slowly permeate life until intimacy with AI systems becomes as commonplace as joining a social media platform. Yet the steady creep toward submission to simulations is not inevitable. There is still time to dance, sing, feast, and procreate with other human beings. There is still time to meditate, converse, and love. This paper argues that learning to love humans well in the future requires a twofold approach. First, we should relish the fleshly embodiment outside our virtual domains. Shared meals, dance, sports, and religious rituals can remind us of the joys of being animals. Second, we should rediscover the uniquely personal capacities for abstract understanding, self-reflection, judgment, and moral agency that characterize humans as odd but endearing members of the animal kingdom. Personal introspection and philosophical dialogue can reawaken us to the rich subjectivity distinguishing us from our digital devices.
Guided or Coerced: The Complex Ethics of Psychedelic Moral Enhancement
Ana Maria Ganev
Abstract
Due to new technologies and the increasing destructive power of single individuals, traditional moral progress seems not up to the task anymore to prevent a societal collapse or even human extinction. Therefore, there is a recognized need for some support from non-traditional means in order to face modern challenges. A growing body of evidence suggests that a viable and practical way of achieving moral neuroenhancement is the use of psychedelic substances.
The debate around moral enhancement raises important questions about human agency, freedom, and societal risks. While some argue that moral bioenhancement would deprive people of free will or create a faux morality, others contend that compulsory, covert administration could avert catastrophes. Though disagreeing on methods, both sides recognize humanity’s moral limitations. Within this context, psychedelics come to the fore, presenting their own set of moral implications. The profound emotional and cognitive transformations induced by psychedelic experiences, when approached with careful consideration of “set” (mindset), “setting” (environment), and integration, open up new avenues for moral enhancement. Hence advocates propose psychedelics as voluntary moral aids, when other efforts fail. By altering consciousness, psychedelics unsettle notions of agency, virtue, and freedom. This paper delves into the exploration of psychedelics’ moral implications, considering whether they might serve as viable supplements for achieving moral progress. It underscores the importance of approaching them as aids rather than compulsions, thereby preserving the dignity of individual choice and autonomy while offering potential pathways toward a harmonious integration of traditional moral education and psychotherapy.
On 3-6 June 2024 the World Congress of Bioethics #WCB2024 titled “Religion, Culture, and Bioethics” was held in Doha, Qatar, organized by the Research Center for Islamic Legislation & Ethics with the aim of exploring the intricate relationship between these fundamental elements. Prof. Fr. Joseph Tham, LC, Chair Reserach Scholar and Full Professor of Bioethics at the Faculty of Bioethics of the Pontifical Atheneaum Regina Apostolorum, participated in the conference with a short oral about ‘Religion, Polarisation and: A Post-Modern Critique’.
Religion, Polarisation and: A Post-Modern Critique
Joseph Tham and Allister Lee
Abstract
In the contemporary milieu of bioethical discussions, religion is often suspected of being irrational, sectarian and polemical. Thus, bioethical reasoning is best performed with neutral philosophical or pragmatic methods to avoid contentions and polarizations generally perceived with religion. From its founding inspiration in the 70s, where theology plays an important role, bioethics soon turned secular, displacing theology with legal, philosophical or pragmatic approaches. At the same time, secular bioethics is sometimes inadequate and too “thin” to address the “thicker” questions of life, death, illness, well-being, mortality and immortality. With the advance of global bioethics, can we still ignore religion? Could religious approaches enrich the bioethical conversation? How can religions engage bioethics in the globalized and public space? In an exchange between secular philosopher Jurgen Habermas and Catholic thinker Josef Ratzinger, the late Pope Benedict XVI both acknowledged that an extremist religious view unhinged from reason would result in fundamentalism and polarization. At the same time, a solely secular approach could also reduce ethics into a battleground of the “will to power” and will not avoid polarized positions either. This paper will examine polarized positions in bioethical debates and offer a post-modern critique to enrich the dialogue between religious and secular bioethics.
Dr Lílian Santos, Professor of Bioethics at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolurm and Research Scholar at the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights, gave a conference on May 23rd at ‘Research Land’, the largest clinical research event in Mexico, organised by APEIC.
Dr Santos presented case studies and recent news on the use of new technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9, wearable devices and chips, also considered trends such as cyborgs, DYI and biohackers, with an emphasis on their effects on clinical research ethics.
Research ethics is a constantly evolving field, especially in light of the challenges posed by new technologies. Ethics is not identifiable with technical possibility nor with the legislation of the moment. In her lecture, Dr. Lílian Santos explained the main models of bioethics (utilitarianism, principalism and personalism) along with their respective principles. She also spoke about the triangular method of bioethics, which comprises scientific data, evaluative anthropological analysis and ethical-normative elaboration.
In conclusion, research ethics requires a delicate balance between technological progress and human values. The triangular method and the principles of Personalist Bioethics provide a moral compass so that new technologies can be developed and applied in a responsible and human-friendly way.
Prof. Fr. Michael Baggot, LC, Chair Research Scholar and Assistant Professor of Faculty of Bioethics, has been named a Fellow of “Medical Ethics: Transhumanism and the Body” program at the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at University of Southern California. The Institute will gather scholars in Los Angeles twice a year for two years. During the two years they will also carry out remote collaboration on research projects.
