“Magnifica humanitas” addresses issues that involve multiple aspects of human existence. Given this breadth, on the basis of article 13 of the encyclical, we wanted to broaden the discussion on the issues raised by Pope Leo
Of Elizabeth Strout
How refreshing it was to read the words of the encyclical Magnificent humanity of Leo XIV; and how grateful I am to this leader of kindness for explaining to us — even warning us — what it means to be human, not just now, but for future generations. How grateful I am for his sincerity and insights. Especially at this moment in history when, with shaky steps, our poor world is inching ever closer to a terrifying and potentially catastrophic place.
When I speak in public about my work as a writer, I talk about the “moments of grace” I seek with my characters. And by that I mean small or large bonds with another person, (although I believe there is no such thing as a “small bond” with another person).
A few years ago, an elderly man I know – he is a widower and has no children – unexpectedly told me that he had once thought about suicide, but then new neighbors had moved in next door who were very kind to him, and then, he said, his daily visits to the supermarket in town had helped him, because there was one shop assistant, in particular, who stopped to chat pleasantly with him for a few moments every time she saw him. Now it was those relationships that supported him.
The Pope’s encyclical penetrates deeply into the human experience and tells us that we are all here, on Earth, to live with each other, not against each other; and one of the most convincing arguments he makes is that we won’t find answers to this in a computer or a bot of artificial intelligence. “These systems mimic some functions of human intelligence,” he writes. In other words, they will never be able to try what it means to be another person. Maybe they can imitate other people, but actually experiencing the world from their point of view… that’s not what artificial intelligence does. (Although, disturbingly, through simulation a person might believe they are capable of doing this.)
The elderly man just mentioned described the grocery store clerk as “a person who always has a twinkle in her eyes,” and he told of the new kids next door who scream his name and run to him to tell him something that happened at school that day. No artificial intelligence and no computer system, no matter how clever, will ever be able to do the same. These things need to be seen and experienced, from person to person.
Leo XIV rightly recognizes the good that can come from artificial intelligence, the many ways in which it can help humanity. But he warns us that we must avoid “”the Babel syndrome”: the idolatry of profit that sacrifices the weak, the uniformity that flattens differences, the demand for a single language – even digital – capable of translating everything, even the mystery of the person, into data and performances”.
The mystery of the person: for me it is of the utmost importance that we always respect the immense mystery that constitutes each of us, the constant tensions that arise within us, between our flaws and our hopes, our desire to measure up and the awareness of our failures. It is in this mystery, in fact, that in my opinion lies our humanity, our ability to feel. And by that I mean — mostly — feeling for each other. Our ability to empathize is undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary and mysterious aspects of being human, and anything that threatens it must be regarded with great concern.
To be human is to be disordered in our thoughts and actions. This is how we are made; It’s something I respect. We think our life will go one direction and then it goes the other. We are confused, perplexed, and always—often unconsciously—engaged in the battle between good and evil. In life I often (in private, between myself) judge others; and how tiring and boring this becomes! Every day, when I start writing, one of the greatest pleasures is that I put aside all judgment about my characters; I simply let them be who they are, aware that I am there to tell their lives, and for me this absence of judgment towards them is truly liberating. Reading the Pope’s words «the fundamental dignity of every person is not acquired and is not deserved, nor does it need to be demonstrated» gives me great comfort. “It is the concrete people who count,” he writes, “each of them and their families.”
I’m a writer because my whole life I’ve wanted to know what it’s like to be someone else. I was quite young when, one day, I realised: I will never see the world except through my own two eyes! It was terribly frustrating for me, and it was around that time that I picked up a book and, as I was reading it, I thought, “Of course, I’ve thought about that. Me too!». And so I understood that by reading literature you can get an idea of what it means to be another person and that, thanks to this discovery, you end up no longer feeling so alone. It was as if a door had opened wide, letting me enter a new world, a better world. A less lonely world.
I would like to add that now the elderly man I mentioned earlier volunteers once a week at a homeless shelter, where he talks to those people while preparing a meal for them. This man could have died by his own hand, in a state of spiritual poverty, if it hadn’t been for the kindness of his new neighbors and the friendly shop assistant, but instead he blossomed, he came out of himself.
«The quality of a civilization is measured (…) by the care it is able to offer, by the ability to recognize the other as a face and not as a function. The ability to know how to care for each other is an important dimension of our human being” writes the Pope in his encyclical, and I feel that it is the truth.
Thank you, Leo XIV, thank you for the kindness of your words of warning and comfort. There is a desperate need in the world right now.
May God help us all.
