"For most of human history the world was dominated by forces beyond our understanding. Ever since Descartes’s division of mind and body, though, science tamed much that had seemed divine or supernatural. And it also forced us to ask whether our own consciouness--our souls--were in fact illusions. Facing the relentless advancement of modern technology, with artificial intelligences surpassing our comprehension and control, concepts that have long been considered to set humans apart and define them as such--intelligence, self-awareness, creativity--have been destabilized. An urgent rethinking of human identity and the core questions of existence is long overdue.Meghan O’Gieblyn tackles this challenge with intellectual rigor, verve, and an ironic sense of contradiction. As a former religious believer still huanted by questions of faith, she draws deeply and sometimes humorously from her own personal experience and serves as the best possible guide to navigating this new and uncharted technological terrain"--Book jacket.