Holding onto our Humanity in the Age of the Machine - Daniel Miller - Friday Night Lectures - August 21, 2026

Holding onto our Humanity in the Age of the Machine   It's been said that there is nothing new under the sun, but every era in history certainly has its own flavor. Now that nearly all of us have steady interactions with screens, social media and artificial intelligence, we find ourselves in the middle of a technological revolution that is no less than rewiring our brains. Writers like Paul Kingsnorth and Wendell Berry say that we are deep into the Age of the Machine “a world in which the lines between human and artificial intelligence are increasingly blurred. Is this an exciting or terrifying prospect? What really are the things that make us human? Will our society be divided (as Berry has said) by those who choose to live like machines and those who don't? There is certainly no lack of questions! But, it's always a good time to have a conversation about what it means to be human because it brings up all the big questions of what gives us meaning, purpose, and hope. Daniel Miller is an organic vegetable farmer and has a degree in political science from the University of Minnesota. His essays have appeared in the Minnesota Daily Green Blade, and Critique. He and his wife Hannah live near Zumbro Falls, Minnesota with their five children.   20260821HumanityIntheMachineAge-DanielMiller