Grief and the New 'Techno-Spiritualism'

In this episode of The Intersect I am  joined by Cody Delistraty -- journalist, culture critic and author of The Grief Cure: Looking for the End of Loss, published by Harper -- to explore how grief, memory and mourning are being reshaped by technology in ways we are only beginning to understand.

As AI ‘deadbots,’ avatars and memory manipulation technologies become increasingly available, a new frontier has emerged -- one where grief itself is no longer confined to ritual or human connection but is now mediated, extended and sometimes disrupted by machines. Cody calls this new moment ‘techno-spiritualism’ -- a blending of ancient desires with modern tools. And together we unpack what it means to grieve in an automated world.

Topics Covered:

• What Cody means by ‘techno-spiritualism’ -- and why it matters now
• How AI deadbots, avatars and grief apps are reshaping mourning
• Whether digital tools help or hinder the emotional process of loss
• The dangers of memory manipulation and grief ‘hacking’
• How mourning has shifted from public rituals to private experiences -- and now to digital spaces
• What we lose when we try to shortcut or automate grief
• Why anguish and suffering are essential parts of the human experience
• The future of grief literacy -- and how we can build better cultural frameworks

About Cody Delistraty:

Cody Delistraty is a journalist and the author of The Grief Cure: Looking for the End of Loss, which was nominated for PEN America’s nonfiction prize. Cody has worked as the culture editor of The Wall Street Journal's magazine, and his writing appears frequently in The New York Times and he is currently at work on a book about a group of Spiritualists. 

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