Antiqua et Nova: An Exposition of its Philosophical Intervention on Artificial Intelligence and its Relevance to Catholic Education
Kaabigan, volume 3, issue 1 (2025), pp. 16-34
"The essay is an exposition of Antiqua et Nova (AeN), a Church document that provides philosophical, theological, and pastoral reflections and guidelines on the understanding and use of artificial intelligence (AI). It is this work’s position that AeN’s significant contribution is its emphasis on the anthropological elements and preconditions for a moral and humanistic approach to AI. Building on this premise, the essay proceeds with the argument that AeN is not just a statement on the challenges of technology to humanity: social, cultural, and religious. It is also an educational philosophy that defends the indispensable humanistic elements of teaching-learning in the face of a society that co-exists and co-relates with technology. Within this framework, it is further emphasized that AI’s relevance and contributions to education in general and Catholic education in particular, may be read and approached with the appropriate ethical, philosophical, theological, and pedagogical cautions. Education as a process must not be confused with the tool (AI); the process and the tool (technology-based education) must not be privileged over the actor and subject of education (the human being). AI ought to contribute to and enhance education as a humanistic activity, one that is ethically or morally committed to the harmonization of technology with humanity. As a philosophical exposition, the work begins focusing on the document’s structure (major discussion points) and genealogical discourse (sources and authorities). It then proceeds with proposals to practical approaches to pedagogy and educational administration based not on empirical data, but rather normative principles derived logically from the flow of moral reasoning anchored on AeN and its authorial sources." (Abstract)