Homo Viator or Algorithmus Viator?
Scientia et Fides April 16, 2026 Berenika Seryczyńska, Tomasz Duda
Pilgrimage offers a unique perspective on transformations in religious practice, from traditional spiritual journeys to modern, technology-assisted routes organized by travel agencies. Using a Thomistic structure of argumentation, the study examines whether AI can participate in pilgrimage spiritually, whether eliminating hardship diminishes its transformative potential, and whether cyberpilgrimage is a legitimate alternative to physical pilgrimage. Drawing on classical metaphysics and contemporary AI research, the argument holds that AI, lacking a rational soul, free will, and an intrinsic orientation toward transcendence, cannot be considered homo viator. Removing physical hardship may undermine ascetic and transformative dimensions. Cyberpilgrimage, while psychologically engaging, does not replace the sacramental and embodied nature of spiritual journeys.