Research Article
Faith in Technological Age, and the Future of Humanism: A Religion-Philosophical Autopsy into Artificial Intelligence and Moral Agency in Africa
1 National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja
Abstract
This study is an attempt to investigate the philosophical and ethical challenges arising from the acceleration collaboration of faith, technology and humanism in contemporary African society. The chief problem addressed is the growing moral ambiguity and ethical displacement caused by technological advancement in African societies where religious worldviews remain central to value systems. The research questions addressed include: first, how does AI challenge traditional religious conceptions of moral agency? Second, what implications do this hold for humanism in contemporary Africa? And third, in what ways can religion-philosophical reflection provide an ethical framework for coexistence between human and machine intelligence? This way, the research aims to evaluate the connectivity between faith and technology in reshaping human moral identity and consequently construct an African religion-philosophical response to emerging technological ethics. It employs a critical and comparative philosophical approach, integrating religious anthropology and moral philosophy to bridge the gap in literature that often isolates theology or technology from their cultural interplay in African thought. The work reveals that while AI challenges traditional notions of moral autonomy, it also offers opportunities for reinterpreting stewardship, creativity, and ethical responsibility. The article concludes that a balanced religio-philosophical engagement is crucial to humanize technology and preserve moral agency in the age of artificial intelligence.
Keywords: Faith, Artificial Intelligence, Moral Agency, Humanism, African Philosophy
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