Research Methodology
摘要
This project explores the role artificial intelligence plays in the lived experience of spirituality, specifically the phenomenon of spiritual information transforming into spiritual knowledge. The body of scholarship reviewed in the literature review suggests that a person’s spirituality can change over time, based on internalizing new information and experiences and transforming them into religious/spiritual knowledge that is meaningful and useful in everyday life. As a reminder, religious information becomes religious knowledge as part of an iterative process that starts with encountering new information, meaning-making and reflection on that information and ultimately use of that information in daily life. This use requires experimentation and practice to become part of this “lived religion” or “everyday religion”. This process can stop at any point in the process. The information can be rejected upon first encounter. It can be rejected as part of meaning-making and reflection, or it can be rejected after attempts at practice have been made (McGuire, Hall, Ammerman, Orsi). It is important to note that the format and duration of this study will not be able to witness the full transition of religious information to religious knowledge as that would take many years of longitudinal study. Rather, the present study will be focused on identifying precursors or signs that religious information is beginning the transformation into religious knowledge based on the dialog with participants and their expression of future intentions or actions based on the research experience. This chapter provides a discussion of and justification for the research approach selected for this project including methods, processes, tools and their associated applications.