A papal encyclical on AI and technology quotes Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings. The quoted passage emphasizes not mastering all world tides, but doing what is within one’s ability to uproot evil in familiar fields so future people have clean earth. The encyclical links this idea to a “civilization of love,” stressing small and steadfast acts of fidelity as protection against dehumanization. The inclusion of Gandalf is framed as potentially meaningful because conservative technology circles valorize Tolkien, and Peter Thiel is described as a powerful Tolkien fan. Thiel is also characterized as an “Antichrist alarmist,” and earlier reporting is cited about his strong interest in Tolkien’s works.
"It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till."
"Leo connects this speech with the "civilization of love" that he calls for in the document, stressing (as Tolkien did) the importance of "small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization.""
"How else to explain the novel appearance of Gandalf-yes, the pipe-smoking wizard!-in the pages of one of Catholicism's most important documents, a major papal encyclical about AI and technology? Perhaps Leo, who was born and raised in Chicago before spending decades in Peru, is simply a big J.R.R. Tolkien buff who can't get enough of magic rings, Eldar lore, and tricksy little hobbitses. Or perhaps Leo is sending a message."
"In his new encyclical, released yesterday, Leo quotes one literary character in the entire 40,000-word document. It's Gandalf, doling out some of his wisdom in a scene from Return of the King: "It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.""
Read at Ars Technica
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