What Students Are MISSING That NO AI Can Replace with Professor Francis Fallon

In the concluding episode of our April series on faith, meaning, and human connection, I sit down with Francis Fallon, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Psychology at St. John's University. Born in Dublin and raised in Queens, Fallon shares his journey from Catholic school to Trinity College to his current interdisciplinary work exploring the nature of consciousness, representation, and the challenges facing education today. We delve into his research on naturalistic explanations of the mind, intentionality, and teleology, discussing why the concept of "representation" is more significant than most realize. Fallon also opens up about what's being lost in today's education system, how technology is reshaping the way we learn and live, and why young people are facing a crisis of rootlessness. We also explore why belonging and purpose are essential to real education, how AI could help and hurt how we teach, what students today are missing that no algorithm can replace, and why the past still matters even when the future feels overwhelming. This conversation is about more than ideas. It's about how we connect, why we think the way we do, and what it means to belong to something bigger than ourselves.