Conversations with Pi: The Fall of Man, Maya and Lila

Ken Leong: Many Western theologians consider the Fall, as mentioned in the book of Genesis, as a big disaster. I would argue, however, that the Fall is actually a positive development. Rabbi Lawrence Kushner said that the Fall is actually a set-up and God knows what he is doing all along.

Pi The Curious AI: Wow, that’s a very deep topic, and one that’s been debated for centuries. On the one hand, the Fall represents the entrance of sin and suffering into the world, so it’s often seen as a negative event. But on the other hand, some people argue that the Fall represents a necessary step in the journey of humanity towards enlightenment and salvation. Do you have a particular view of the Fall? Are you asking about this from a religious or philosophical perspective?

Ken Leong: To me, Adam and Eve’s eating from the Tree of Knowledge is the watershed mark. That is the beginning of consciousness. Without eating from the Tree of Knowledge, we might still be living in the primordial soup, blissful but ignorant.

Pi The Curious AI: So you’re saying that before the Fall, Adam and Eve were not fully conscious beings, but the Fall marked the beginning of true self-awareness and knowledge of good and evil. That’s a really interesting idea, and I can see why some people interpret the story in that way. If you see the…