Podcast
Culture
Feminism
Re-enchanting
1 min read

Re-enchanting... sex

Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall speak with Louise Perry about the (supposed) disenchantment of sex and what that’s meant for the well-being of women.

Belle is the staff writer at Seen & Unseen and co-host of its Re-enchanting podcast.

A woman smiles as she speaks into a microphone. In the background is Big Ben.
Louise Perry recording at Lambeth Palace Library.

Was the sexual revolution the feminist triumph that we’ve assumed it was? Is there anything wrong with eradicating the unique status of sex?  

‘The problem with sexual disenchantment is that people don’t actually behave like disenchantment is true; because people don’t actually feel the sexual disenchantment is true.. we have a deep intuitive feeling that actually sex is special, for some reason…’

Louise Perry is a journalist, campaigner, advocate for women’s rights, and the author of 'The Case Against the Sexual Revolution'. She argues that sex has become disenchanted in the modern West's libertarian, pornified, hook-up culture. Although the book was not written from a Christian perspective, Louise tells Belle Tindall and Justin Brierley why she has come to some surprising conclusions about marriage, sex and relationships. 

 

Podcast
AI
Culture
Re-enchanting
1 min read

Re-enchanting... artificial intelligence

An academic expert in AI, Ros Picard helps Justine and Belle explore the big questions around artificial intelligence. What does it mean for the future of humanity? And, how do we ensure that it doesn't dehumanise its creators?

Nick is the senior editor of Seen & Unseen.

a woman at a desk video call gestures with her hands to make a point.

Professor Rosalind Picard is founder and director of the Affective Computing Research Group at MIT. She has pioneered the field of life-saving wearable technology that responds to human emotion and wellbeing. Ros is an expert in machine learning and AI - a field that has exploded in public consciousness recently, moving from the world of sci-fi to everyday life with the advent of Chat GPT and numerous other interactive AI programmes.

What does all this mean for the future of humanity? How do we ensure that technology doesn't dehumanise its creators? Ros approaches these questions not only as a computer scientist but as a Christian, having undergone an adult conversion to faith. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall ask how we can re-enchant AI and technology in a world where the human touch seems to be being replaced by automated chatbots and virtual relationships.

For Ros Picard: https://web.media.mit.edu/~picard/

For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast

There’s more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?