Dan Brown: Collective consciousness to replace God
Print Edition
Humanity no longer needs God but may with the help of Artificial Intelligence develop a new form of collective consciousness that fulfils the role of religion, US author Dan Brown said yesterday.
Brown made the provocative remark at the Frankfurt Book Fair where he was promoting his new novel, “Origin,” the fifth outing for Harvard “symbology” professor Robert Langdon, the protagonist of “The Da Vinci Code,” a book that questioned the history of Christianity.
“Origin” was inspired by the question “Will God survive science?” said Brown, adding that this had never happened in the history of humanity.
“Are we naive today to believe that the gods of the present will survive and be here in a hundred years?” Brown, 53, told a packed news conference.
Set in Spain, “Origin” opens with Langdon arriving at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao for an announcement by a reclusive billionaire futurist that promises to “change the face of science forever.”
Events quickly take an unexpected turn, providing a plot vehicle for Langdon to visit the historic sites of Spain including Barcelona, capital of the northern region of Catalonia that is now in the grip of a secession crisis.
Brown, who studied art history in Seville, expressed his concern and sympathy for both sides in the political stand-off.
“I love Catalonia. I love Spain. I hope they work it out. It’s a heartbreaking situation, but it’s also a sign of the times,” said Brown.
He said the crisis also reflected the tension in society between the ancient and the modern.
Brown admitted to not having read a novel in five years. But he investigated deeply and spent a lot of time talking to futurists to come up with the storyline for “Origin.”
He recognized that his views may not be welcomed by clerics, but called for greater harmony between the world’s religions and those who profess no faith.
“Our religions are much more similar than they are different.”
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