On Contemplation

Seeking God in an Age of Silicon

As humanity gains huge technological powers—AI, genetic engineering, cognitive enhancement—we face an ancient question: how do we grow in wisdom as rapidly as we grow in capability? Throughout Scripture, God does not merely issue propositions. He initiates encounters with people who seek Him.

Moses encounters a voice in fire, Isaiah sees a throne room, Ezekiel beholds wheels within wheels, and Paul is blinded by a vision of Jesus. History includes ongoing divine or ecstatic experiences of various theologians and saints, whose encounters informed Christian practices, and give rise to countless hymns, texts, and teachings.

The Christian tradition did not treat these moments as unreachable anomalies. It developed a disciplined path, what early Christians called the contemplative life, so that ordinary believers could cultivate awareness of God, and personal spiritual transformation, not merely belief about God.

The contemplative life, where the ascetic actively engages in contemplation, can be a simple part of one’s daily routine. Let’s explore the nature of mysticism, how contemplation is practiced, and a new way of looking at an ancient practice for the coming age. As this age of emerging technologies unfold, we must revisit this tradition: not as nostalgia but as infrastructure for the future.

The Science of Spiritual Ascent

God is seen as wholly ‘other’, external to creation but immanent with us: omnibenevolent, omniscient, and omnipotent. Yet Paul writes, “Now we see in a mirror dimly… then face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Because God is beyond our comprehension, we cannot possess total knowledge but rather we grow towards it. Christians are drawn to the divine light of God, not just intellectually, but also by means of active participation. This process of divine ascent is often referred to as mysticism. The Christian gains greater awareness of God through ascetic practice.

When Christians speak of “mysticism,” many modern readers imagine irrationality, private visions, or esoteric speculation. Historically, it meant something more disciplined and stacks up well with what we now know of the best ways of spiritual formation.

Mysticism is the process by which Christians seek experiential knowledge of God. As a “science of faith,” mysticism does not apply empirical methods but is experiential or phenomenological. Mysticism should not be understood as a form of spiritual knowledge to be observed and replicated but experienced and tested against Scripture and church doctrine.

It is not about bypassing reason. It was about refining perception of subtle truths towards Truth.

Daily personal devotional practices vary across church traditions and time, but have been common throughout all Christian history. All have sought some kind of mystical experience of the divine.

The Practice of Mysticism

The process of mysticism is engaged through the practice of contemplation. Also known as theoria, contemplation aims to obtain awareness of God increasingly through individual spiritual practices. It has roots in Platonic philosophy as well as Jewish theology. Contemplative practice takes many forms, including contemplative prayer or discursive meditation.

The most common form of contemplation is a consistent engagement of prayer – to “pray ceaselessly”. A variety of practices suits both monastic and lay communities. Contemplative prayer can include repetitive prayers, such as the Catholic rosary or the “Jesus prayer”: (“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”) It is also practiced through regular prayer, such as the Divine Office, or through a prayerful reading of Scripture such as Lectio Divina.

In the form of discursive meditation, as explored by Augustine in his Confessions, contemplation is a progressive method of introspection. This practice consists of three stages: observing the physical world and our lives for divine presence, turning within oneself to find God, and moving beyond one’s soul towards the direct contemplation of God. This simple approach was later developed by luminaries, such as Richard of St. Victor and Bonaventure.

A Cybernetic Approach to Contemplation

Historical evidence shows theology is not a static body of wisdom but dynamic with ever-increasing clarity. The science of the era interacts with theology, such as Augustine with Platonism, Thomas Aquinas with Aristotelianism, and Analytical Thomists with analytical philosophy. In accordance with this tradition, it becomes helpful to re-examine mysticism and contemplation based on contemporary wisdom.

Through scientific and philosophical development, the 20^th century has produced the philosophical perspective known as systems theory. Systems theory understands reality as highly interconnected through various systems. Interdisciplinary studies produce a more holistic approach to scientific progress and the development of cybernetics. In this context, cybernetics means the transdisciplinary study of control, communication, and self-regulation.

Applied to mystical theology and contemplation, a cybernetic approach illustrates how contemplating the systems of creation may help us understand the nature of God. By understanding God as the Creator of all things, from which all systems are derived and subsist, we may progress towards God through awareness of these systems. As stated by Paul, “For from him and through him and to him are all things.” (Rom. 11:36)

Practically, this may include deep reflection on the biological and technological systems in which we live and move. Meditating on our own consciousness, and continual reforming and transforming of our minds through neural plasticity, and awareness of feedback loops between humanity, nature, and God. In such, we want to take all thoughts captive to Christ.

Cybernetic mysticism is ideally engaged using discursive meditation. As the mind is guided from sensory objects into the mind – guided through a process of observation, imagination, and reason – the contemplative may begin to understand the manifold layers of systems comprising reality. The emerging state of pure contemplation becomes a peaceful, meek, yet transformative gaze into God’s divine nature.

The Importance of Attaining Oneness

We live in an era where AI systems can drastically accelerate development, where genetic editing eliminates various diseases, and the potential for humanity to transform the planet is expanding exponentially. Such spiritual formation is critical for a new era, otherwise development occurs recklessly.

The integration of a contemplation into one’s ascetic practice is vital to train one’s mind and put it towards good purposes. Consistent practice leads to a disciplined mind and life. God offers knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6), and the wisdom to use it prayerfully will align these technologies towards beneficial ends.

Christian Transhumanism sometimes describes the creation as a work of art. In his De scientia Christi, Bonaventure states, “the truth of things as they are in the mind or in their own nature […] is sufficient for the soul to have certain knowledge only if the soul somehow reaches things as they are in the eternal art.”

While the accruement of knowledge is beneficial, the aim is to attain spiritual oneness with God known as theosis, the mystical process wherein the individual participates in God’s divine essence (1 Peter 1:4) and becomes increasingly like God. Athanasius, stated “God became man so that man might become god.” This is made possible through individual and communal practice, in the form of daily devotional contemplation and the Eucharist.

Science aims for us to understand God through His creation and effects. Mysticism, daily devotional prayer and contemplation, serves as the next step in ascetic practice – aiming to go beyond the physical and into the very essence of God. Through the ongoing cultivation of virtue, the pursuit of knowledge in science, and the desire for truth in mysticism, one lives the contemplative life with faith and reason.