Artificial intelligence took a major turn with the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022. The chatbot’s informed, well-written responses to nuanced questions generated both excitement and concern across multiple disciplines. The tool is particularly intriguing for students of The Urantia Book, since the text contains specific information and unique concepts not always found outside its 2097 pages.
While putting together the recent Journal edition on “Government, Politics, and The Urantia Book,” we “tested” ChatGPT’s capability by posing the question, “What does The Urantia Book say about democracy?” Below is ChatGPT’s answer followed by commentary from several students of The Urantia Book.
ChatGPT: The Urantia Book presents a critical but nuanced perspective on democracy. Here are some key points it makes:
1. Inherent Value of Democracy: The Urantia Book acknowledges the value of democracy as a system that recognizes the dignity and worth of individuals. It appreciates the principle of government “of the people, by the people, for the people” as a significant step in the social and political evolution of humanity.
2. Limitations and Challenges: Despite recognizing its value, The Urantia Book highlights several limitations and challenges inherent in democratic systems:
- Popularity over Competence: It criticizes the tendency in democracies to prioritize popularity over competence, where leaders are elected based on their ability to appeal to the masses rather than their qualifications or abilities.
- Short-term Focus: Democracies often focus on short-term goals and immediate benefits to gain votes, sometimes at the expense of long-term planning and stability.
- Potential for Mediocrity: There is a concern that democracy can lead to mediocrity, where the lowest common denominator sets the standard, potentially stifling exceptional leadership and innovation.
3. Education and Enlightenment: The book emphasizes the importance of education and enlightenment for a successful democracy. An informed and educated electorate is seen as crucial for making wise decisions and selecting competent leaders.
4. Evolutionary Nature: Democracy is viewed as an evolving system that reflects the growing political maturity and social consciousness of humanity. It suggests that over time, as societies evolve and individuals become more spiritually and intellectually advanced, democratic systems will improve and become more effective.
5. Spiritual Leadership: The Urantia Book underscores the need for spiritual leadership and moral guidance in democracies. It argues that without a foundation of ethical and spiritual values, democratic systems are prone to corruption and inefficiency.
In summary, The Urantia Book appreciates the democratic ideal but stresses the need for continuous improvement, education, and moral leadership to address its inherent flaws and realize its full potential.
OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (May 30 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
I find the ChatGPT response thematically accurate, hitting the broad points on democracy quite well. The nuances are areas of opportunity, such as the heading “Evolutionary Nature” when The Urantia Book clarifies that democracy is “a product of civilization, not of evolution” (71:2.1). However, the narrative following this heading follows the spirit of the teachings, saying essentially that as societies evolve, democratic systems will improve.
Another nuance is in the summary, which discusses democracy and its “inherent flaws.” This is not a characterization I find in The Urantia Book, although it does inform us of the dangers of democracy, dependencies for its survival, and our propensity to make a fetish of it (88:3.4). Its ideal state is more optimistic, with the opportunity to realize and enjoy the personal liberties of genuine democracy (134:6.11). Ultimately, these nuances are important but do not significantly diminish the value and quality of the content.
Mike Robinson, California, USA
The AI response did an excellent job of summarizing The Urantia Book perspective on democracy, but it did not emphasize enough the idea that democracy is the preferred form of government compared to others.
“Popular elections may not always decide things rightly, but they represent the right way even to do a wrong thing. Evolution does not at once produce superlative perfection but rather comparative and advancing practical adjustment.” (71:2.3)
Also that some forms of democratic government are characterized by a divine pattern:
“The only sacred feature of any human government is the division of statehood into the three domains of executive, legislative, and judicial functions.” (71:8.1)
Claire Thurston, Reston, VA, USA
Overall, the ChatGPT summary of democracy as discussed in The Urantia Book covers some important points in plain language. But when compared to the bold and candid wording of the revelation, it is a somewhat euphemistic rendering conditioned by the Western social mores of the 21st century.
For example, I see no mention of the “short-term focus” of democracies in the book. And the “potential for mediocrity” and “popularity over competence” are actually stated as the “glorification of mediocrity” and the “choice of base and ignorant rulers,” respectively. We are also warned that the survival of democracy is at stake when the majority is “uneducated and indolent.”
Curiously, the term “representative government” does not appear in this summary. This is the “divine ideal” (45:7.3) and the crux of all democracies. If there is a key point, this is it—elected officials need to truly represent the wishes of their constituents, right or wrong.
But the most fatal shortcoming in this summary is its advocacy for spiritual leadership in democracies. Indeed it is clearly stated that we must avoid the “union of church and state” (70:12:17), a position that even Jesus upheld (178:1.9).
Mark Blackham
British Columbia, Canada
I was impressed by the concise but thorough and balanced treatment ChatGPT gave on the subject. I liked how it emphasized that an educated and informed electorate combined with moral and spiritually led leadership was necessary to get the most out of a democratic government. I think the article may have been even better if it discussed the democracy described in Government on a Neighboring Planet where the electorate has varying numbers of votes per person depending on the service rendered to society or particular competence in government service.
Rick Bates, New York
ChatGPT’s response about The Urantia Book’s perspective on democracy can be evaluated using four criteria: accuracy, clarity, thought-provoking nature, and inspiration. While the answer rates 4/5 for accuracy, it lacks completeness, particularly regarding Paper 71, section 2 on “The Evolution of Representative Government.” The response could be more thought-provoking and inspiring by incorporating information from Papers 71 and 72, which offer insights into modifying current democracies. ChatGPT’s default “helpful assistant” mode limits its ability to lead users in deeper exploration. To address this, The Urantia Book Tutor (UBT) project is developing an AI-powered chatbot designed to serve as an advanced Urantia Book student. This tool aims to offer interactive dialogues and insights directly from the text, making the teachings more accessible and encouraging further exploration. Importantly, UBT will emulate Jesus’ teaching style by asking questions, serving as a tutor for both newcomers to The Urantia Book and advanced students alike. This approach highlights AI’s potential to provide more comprehensive and engaging responses about The Urantia Book’s teachings through improved prompting and specialized tools.
Gabriel Rymberg, Israel
I am disappointed and surprised that you have succumbed to the temptation of asking about what The Urantia Book “says.” The plain fact of the matter is that The Urantia Book does not say anything about anything, for The Urantia Book is an inanimate object and cannot speak!
Personifying an inanimate object is not the only fundamental flaw of the inquiry posed to ChatGPT. In effect, this wording inescapably implies that The Urantia Book is an essentially uniform document written from one viewpoint and reflecting a single, undifferentiated perspective. That is not true either, for the authors of The Urantia Book and the topics they write about are pluralistic and diverse. If a perceptive reader wishes to interpret any specific statement in depth and detail, he or she would have to evaluate its spiritual and mindal context, while also considering the personal characteristics of the author or authors who embedded it in the fifth epochal revelation.
I offer alternate wording that might yield more interesting results (or perhaps not):
Please analyze and evaluate what the various authors of The Urantia Book say about democracy and elections,
(a) While comparing and contrasting the views of the Midwayer Commission with those advanced by other authors, and
(b) While also commenting on the philosophy and implications of the systems for elections and voting that are currently in use on the advanced continent of a neighboring planet, as a Melchizedek describes them in sections 2 and 9 of Paper 72.
Neal Waldrop, USA
Chat GPT recently generated a summary of The Urantia Book’s perspective on democracy – its inherent value, challenges and risks, and guidance for what is necessary for democracy to achieve its full potential.
The piece shares key observations with notable theorists and academics (Dahl, Schumpeter, Olson, and Tocqueville, among others). These include certain benefits of democracy such as giving individuals a voice in governance and facilitating contestation, as well as more problematic patterns like popularity over competence, short-term focus, and a potential for mediocrity.
To me what stands out about The Urantia Book-AI perspective is its emphasis on the importance of strong spiritual and ethical underpinnings. In my opinion, the crucial statement in this AI’s summary of The Urantia Book’s point of view is: “…without a foundation of ethical and spiritual values, democratic systems are prone to corruption and inefficiency.”
It’s a timely point to consider. More than ever before, we must prioritize ethical behavior and ethical decision-making among our criteria for electing leaders. If our democracy is to survive, this ethics-first mindset must be increasingly more present in our public dialog and debate as we go about the business of electing the leaders of our United States of America.
Sia Ahmadzadeh, USA