The Soul is Nothing Technological: Out-of-Body Experiences and Artificial Intelligence
摘要
This chapter explores philosophical distinctions between human consciousness and artificial intelligence through the lens of out-of-body experiences (OBEs). Drawing on transpersonal psychology, phenomenology, and Heideggerian philosophy, the authors argue that OBEs exemplify exceptional human experiences (EHEs) that cannot be fully explained by reductionist, neuropsychiatric models. They critique the technological worldview, what Heidegger calls “Enframing,” for mechanizing and diminishing the soul’s significance and contend that artificial intelligence, even if sentient, cannot possess a soul in the esoteric sense. Five core dimensions—substance matters, sociohistorical context, reincarnation, Enframing, and lived embodiment—are developed to demonstrate the fundamental dissimilarity between human and artificial forms of consciousness. The authors argue that the soul is “nothing technological,” resisting the logic of modern technoscience.