Symbiotic Intelligence as the Capacity to Perceive the Suffering of Vulnerable Beings - Eco-Theological Implications -

Abstract

This study reinterprets symbiotic intelligence as the theological capacity to perceive the suffering of vulnerable creatures and explores its implications for Christian ecotheology. Symbiotic intelligence is understood as a relational and ecological form of cognition that emerges through the interactions among humans, non-human creatures, technologies, and the environment, encompassing an affective attunement that detects and responds to the distress of the weak. By tracing its conceptual roots in distributed intelligence, collective intelligence, the extended mind, and ecological intelligence, the study analyzes how this cognitive structure intersects with theological sensibilities that recognize the groaning and wounds of creation. Furthermore, the study rearticulates the relationality of the Trinity, the compassion of Jesus, and the life-giving and transformative work of the Spirit as theological frameworks for understanding symbiotic intelligence, thereby presenting it as a mode of Christian intelligence grounded in relationality, responsibility, and solidarity. The study argues that symbiotic intelligence contributes to post-anthropocentric ecological ethics, provides an epistemological shift for perceiving the actual suffering of creation, and fosters spiritual and practical solidarity with vulnerable creatures. Ultimately, this research demonstrates that symbiotic intelligence serves as a new integrative resource for the epistemological, ethical, and spiritual domains of ecotheology and suggests future applications for forming symbiotic intelligence in church, community, and educational contexts.