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A Boomer, But An Augustinian: On Magnifica Humanitas

Source: A Boomer, But An Augustinian: On Magnifica Humanitas
Date Published: 2026-05-26
Author: Jacob Phillips (Professor of Systematic Theology, St. Mary's University)

TL;DR

Jacob Phillips reads Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence through the lens of the Tower of Babel. The text presents a "decidedly Augustinian" vision that grounds human grandeur in our creaturely limits, directly opposing the "technocratic paradigm" and the "grandiosity of the machine."

The Problem: The Technocratic Paradigm (Today's Babel)

The encyclical identifies the modern technological mindset where technology becomes the standard by which everything is judged. Logic is reduced to efficiency, control, and profit.

Impact on the Individual: - People view themselves as machines to be coded and optimized - The fullness of life is reduced to eliminating weakness and uncertainty

Impact on Society: - Results in a "culture of power" - An unrestrained AI arms race - Shadowy non-state actors exerting transnational influence

"seeing ourselves as a project to be optimized rather than as persons called to relationship and communion."

"governed only by technocratic thinking and presented as necessary and inevitable, ultimately imposing rules shaped by those who control data, infrastructure and computing power."

The Solution: The Civilization of Love

The antidote is built through a "spiritual, ethical and political framework" applied to technology.

Core Principles: - Catholic Social Doctrine: Human dignity, common good, subsidiarity, solidarity - The Eucharist: Central to the antidote — builds profound communion that challenges the technocratic paradigm - Formation: Families, schools, and broader culture must impart dispositions to use technology appropriately

"not from a single or spectacular gesture, but from the sum total of small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization."

The Augustinian Framework vs. Pelagian Optimism

Phillips offers a constructive critique: the document has tendencies both generational ("Boomer") and theological (Augustinian).

The Pope avoids Pelagian presumption (confusing the City of Man with the City of God). St. Augustine distinguished the City of God (amor Dei — love of God) from the City of Man (amor sui — pride/self-love). The Heavenly Jerusalem is a gift of grace, not a political achievement.

"Limitations are integral to human dignity; they are to be cherished and protected, not wished away."

Universal Solidarity vs. Populist Resistance

The encyclical is outwardly focused, aiming to build unity across the human race. Phillips highlights a tension: transnational institutions are viewed favorably, but some are wary of how universalized global initiatives can function as another "culture of power."

"Fraternity is presented as global and universal — not merely an aspiration of believers but a social and political reality to be embodied in communal choices and endeavors."

Key Takeaways

  1. Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical directly confronts the "technocratic paradigm" of the AI age
  2. The document grounds human dignity in our creaturely limits, not in overcoming them
  3. The solution is a "civilization of love" built through small, steadfast acts of fidelity
  4. An Augustinian framework avoids the Pelagian optimism that technology alone will save us
  5. Fraternity and solidarity are presented as the necessary political response to technocratic control