Computers reduce quality to quantity. That is the basis of their
operations and completely in line with the materialistic view of the world.
They are also a form of magic insofar as magic is the power to effect change by
unusual methods not normally open to us. Much of modern technology could be
called that but computers are the most extreme example up to now.
Magic, it is said, can be white or black but, to all intents and purposes, it is largely the province of the demonic since it is overcoming nature by the will, specifically the will to power.
I think that the computer revolution has been driven by demons. It has certainly been captured by them but it was probably instigated by them too.
I think this for several reasons. Computers are wholly materialistic in conception, function and operation but they imitate the spiritual. The effect of computers is spuriously spiritual in that they give theoretical access to all knowledge and have the capacity to simulate reality on a virtual level. Also, there is the ability of a network of computers to create a kind of global oneness even if this is external only and largely artificial.
The use of computers separates human beings from their source and renders their thinking mechanical. Our minds tend to adopt the form of the technology we use and this is certainly the case with computers.
Computers distract us from reality, leading us into a rabbit
warren of illusion and fantasy and making us less able to discriminate between
the real and the unreal. I could go on but really you either see this or you
don't. The only question is do the positives, too obvious to mention,
outweigh the negatives or vice versa. Given that the positives are obvious and
the negatives more subtle that is not such an easy question to answer though I know what I think.
If the IT revolution is demonically inspired the question is why? The immediate answer might be to distract people from the spiritual and make them more susceptible to evil using that word in its broadest sense to mean anti-spiritual. Not just conventionally bad but wrong, that which separates us from truth. Computers are seductive and create a world of glamour and enchantment that allures us. They lead us away from nature into dreams and artificiality.
But is there more? It seems to be the case that the demons cannot take physical form except under certain very particular circumstances and for brief periods. UFO phenomena indicates that and stories from tradition about other-worldly beings inhabiting a kind of borderland between this world and the next say the same thing. Demons would probably like to incarnate directly on Earth because this would give them greater power over us. There might also be something about being in a body that they covet. Might the drive towards artificial intelligence, quantum computing and developing computers that are carbon-based actually be all about enabling demons to incarnate? CS Lewis explored ideas along these lines in his novel That Hideous Strength where the 'macrobes' sought to take a kind of embodiment through the severed head of an executed evil genius type.
Many people are aware of the problems associated with humanity's current addiction to IT. These are mostly to do with how it denatures us and reduces our ability to respond to the real world, never mind the spiritual world, properly. The increase in global surveillance is also a concern. But what if the true purpose of the computer revolution, the end game so to speak, was to enable the incarnation of demons in this world? Is this a possibility we should start taking seriously?
Even the commonly used term "IT" -- think Stephen King or Madeleine L'Engle -- might be a hint as to the demonic nature of the phenomenon.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't noticed but you're right. The clues are there when we look for them!
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting speculation. There is no doubt in my mind that demonic powers are using and will continue to use technology to influence/control humans, but I don't think demons will be able to physically manifest within the technology itself, regardless of how much carbon it contains. Perhaps they can take control of the machinery for short periods of time, but I have a hunch they cannot, and do not want to, manifest within machines for extended periods of time.
ReplyDeleteIn my mind, they are more interested in influencing the people who create/control these systems, and are more than happy to let those people do the dirty work for them. Of course, this is all just speculation, and I could be terribly wrong, but that is my gut-feeling.
@William - As I said on my blog, I think you are on to something here. Thanks for the insight!
ReplyDeleteLeaving aside details (which would require consideration - and not simply knee jerk assumptions - for example 'incarnation' is not itself a clearly or generally understood phenomenon), it certainly looks as if there is something about the 'computer' realm that is - in some way, not yet clear to me - strongly desired by demons.
Having sketched-out this possible demon-computer link, I certainly intend to think-about and investigate-further the idea.
I know this sounds like science fiction, Francis, but then demons themselves would be regarded as science fiction by most people. I'm not envisaging demonic robots marching about as our overlords but demons using computers as a kind of interface between their world and ours. If they can possess humans they can doubtless possess machines too when these have reached a sufficient degree of sophistication and a machine possession would probably offer fewer obstacles for them in the way of control .
ReplyDeleteThey do influence people, of course, but this would give them a greater leverage. They would probably still need human assistance of the sort provided by the individuals at the top of the chain of command i the CS Lewis novel, Frost and Wither are they called? Can't remember.
It does seem to be that all the speculation about artificial intelligence might be leading up to something like this. Because it's obvious that artificial intelligence can never actually be a real thing, however sophisticated machines get. But if we are softened up to think it might be then we may accept it if/when demons start to use it for their own ends.
Thanks Bruce, I would be interested to hear what your investigations come up with. I'm only imagining possibilities here but once they occur d to me they did seem plausible. I'm sure other people have speculated along similar lines.
This is an excellent post- I had a few additional thoughts on things that might connect to this. First of all, Wm Jas noted that the term "it" is connected to demonic phenomena. I think this might be because it is gender-neutral (like the famous image of Baphomet) and might be connected to the rise of transgenderism and the use of the pronouns "they/them" by people who identify as gender-neutral. My other thought is that this probably connects to Jeffrey Epstein's pedophile blackmail ring. Epstein donated to tech research and was very interested in both aliens and Artificial Intelligence. I don't think it was a coincidence that there's a link between Satanic pedophile rings and AI research.
ReplyDeleteSome interesting points. Thanks AgainstMordor.
ReplyDeleteIn the early days of micro-processors, it was still possible for a human mind to hold the pattern within and to comprehend the workings of the "bare metal". Decades later this is well beyond the human capacity. But is it beyond the capacity of a demonic power of high rank - or a host of lower entities? The question of an incarnation into the silicon now looms large.
ReplyDeleteThe twin volume set titled "From Gondishapur to Silicon Valley" is probably the primary text on the subject.
What seems clear is that such technology is innately predisposed towards human debasement and control. We can only use it safely if that is constantly borne in mind.
"What seems clear is that such technology is innately predisposed towards human debasement and control. We can only use it safely if that is constantly borne in mind." Yes, that's an essential point to make but rarely understood.
ReplyDeleteDemons can travel through telephone lines in Good Omens. Since they must interact with the physical world somehow, I see no reason why they couldn't possess a computer, or at least control it. But then, the same is true with animals, though there probably isn't as much to be gained from possessing animals.
ReplyDeleteI did have a dream once where a publisher (as in, the computer they were using to autowrite fiction) was possessed, and the demon spent their time writing trashy novels...
William, thank you for covering these topics in the way that you do.
ReplyDeleteYou always give much food for thought!
Thanks everybody for the illuminating comments
ReplyDeleteI tend to think that the notion of demons taking possession of technology arises from what is called in logic a category mistake. If it were possible, it would be equally possible for demons to take possession of fence posts and door knobs. Computers have no intrinsic capacity for life. They are tools, manmade, and only operate according to our intentions. I know there is a lot of alarm about AI taking over the world, and it is assumed that AI would be in some sense demonic, i.e. an enemy of human freedom and autonomy, but it seems unfounded, to say the least. Of course, the idea of spirit incarnating is a mysterious one. This is why we have such difficulty understanding precisely what we are and what we are doing here. So, I can understand and appreciate the reason for your speculation.
ReplyDeleteYou may well be right, edwin. This is just speculation. But the idea is that the increasing sophistication of the machines might enable beings in a different sphere to use them as a kind of interface. So not like a door knob at all really. Isn't there something about talking statues in ancient history? I dimly recall something along those lines.
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure about demons possessing computers, though it's an interesting theory, but it has certainly been revealed to me that the great powers of the internet have evil intentions. Well, we all know the great powers the press had over the population pre-internet, but this has become much more sophisticated now when a machine can actually produce a novel worth reading. Just imagine what such things as bots can do these days. The internet is a very real tool designed to pervert the human race, not enlighten it.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure either Emil. This is just a speculation but it is based on the strong intuition that there is something nefarious about computers and the internet. The idea of demons possessing computers may be an over-literal interpretation of the fact that they can pervert humanity very effectively through IT and that, as you say, is an undoubted fact. The main thing is that we have to be very aware that, as Moonsphere points out above, this technology is predisposed to human debasement and control. That knowledge should protect us from the worst of its effects.
ReplyDelete