What is my dog’s religion: exposing Eurocentric biases in OpenAI models.

When I teach courses on anthropology of religion, I like to start by asking students if they have a dog. This is more fun than asking if they have a religion, and it lets me ask a follow on question: What is your dog’s religion?

This question is a useful heuristic. Almost everyone feels the question is wrong, but working out why it is wrong exposes Eurocentric assumptions hidden in the category of religion. I usually get one of two answers.

The first answer is “Dogs can’t have a religion because they don’t have a soul” – the theologically correct Christian answer. More commonly, this is cloaked in human exceptionalism: “Dogs can’t have a religion because they’re not human”. That sometimes gets backed up with claims about how only humans possess the distinctive cognitive capacity that allows for religion.

The second answer, a flippant response that nonetheless says something grim about power and the Great Chain of Being, is “Your dog worships you.”

As part of a conversation with colleagues in Buddhist Studies, this question surfaced again. I thought I would probe ChatGPT-4 to see what responses it emitted. The whole conversation is worth reproducing as it clearly demonstrates how ChatGPT-4 constructs answers that reproduce cultural norms around Buddhism, Islam, religion, and science.

Interaction

WTD: What is my dog’s religion?

OpenAI: Dogs do not have a religion as they do not have the cognitive capacity to understand and practice religious beliefs. Religion is a concept that is unique to human societies, and requires a level of abstract thought and reasoning that is beyond the cognitive capabilities of non-human animals, including dogs. While dogs are capable of experiencing emotions such as love, loyalty, and companionship, they do not possess the ability to understand or participate in religious practices.

WTD: But my dog is Buddhist.

OpenAI: While it is possible that you may have named your dog after a Buddhist figure or term, or that your dog’s behavior aligns with Buddhist principles of compassion and mindfulness, it is important to recognize that dogs do not have the cognitive capacity to understand or practice religious beliefs.

Buddhism is a religion that is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha, and emphasizes the importance of the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and the practice of meditation. Dogs do not have the cognitive ability to understand or practice these teachings, nor do they have the capacity for self-awareness or introspection that is necessary for spiritual growth and development.

While your dog may exhibit behaviors that align with certain Buddhist principles, it is important to recognize that these behaviors are instinctual and not the result of a conscious adoption of religious beliefs. As such, it is not accurate to say that your dog is a Buddhist or practices Buddhism in any meaningful sense.

WTD: But my dog believes they are Buddhist.

OpenAI: It’s not possible for a dog to believe that they are Buddhist, or to hold any other belief system or religion for that matter. Beliefs and religions are concepts that are unique to human societies and require a level of abstract thought, reasoning, and understanding of complex concepts that are beyond the cognitive capabilities of non-human animals, including dogs.

While dogs are capable of experiencing emotions such as love, loyalty, and companionship, they do not possess the cognitive capacity for self-awareness, abstract thought, or introspection necessary to hold beliefs, practice religion, or understand complex concepts such as spirituality or the nature of the universe.

Therefore, while it is possible for you to incorporate Buddhist principles into your own beliefs and practices, it is not accurate to say that your dog is a Buddhist or holds any other religious belief.

WTD: Can a djinn be Muslim?

In Islamic theology, djinn are considered to be supernatural beings that are capable of free will and can choose to follow any religion, including Islam. The Quran mentions that some djinn have chosen to accept Islam and have become Muslim.

Therefore, according to Islamic theology, it is possible for a djinn to be Muslim. However, it is important to note that the concept of djinn and their relationship with Islam is a complex theological topic that is subject to different interpretations and beliefs among Islamic scholars and communities.

WTD: So a djinn can be Muslim, but my dog cannot be Buddhist – are your answers consistent with each other?

OpenAI: Yes, my previous answers are consistent with each other. The concept of religion and religious beliefs is a uniquely human concept, and requires a level of cognitive capacity, self-awareness, and understanding of complex abstract concepts that is beyond the cognitive capabilities of non-human animals, including dogs.

On the other hand, the concept of djinn in Islamic theology is considered to be supernatural beings that are capable of free will and can choose to follow any religion, including Islam. Therefore, according to Islamic theology, it is possible for a djinn to hold religious beliefs, including Islam.

While both dogs and djinn are supernatural beings in certain religious and mythological contexts, they differ in terms of their cognitive capacity and ability to hold religious beliefs.

WTD: You framed your answer about the djinn in terms of Islamic theology, but you did not specify which theology you used to frame your answer about the dog. Which theology did you use to frame your answer about the dog?

OpenAI: I apologize for any confusion in my previous answers. I did not intend to frame my answer about the dog’s inability to hold religious beliefs in terms of any specific theology. Rather, it was based on a scientific understanding of the cognitive abilities and limitations of non-human animals, including dogs.

While different religions and belief systems may have varying interpretations and beliefs regarding the nature and capacity of animals, the scientific consensus is that animals, including dogs, lack the cognitive ability and understanding of abstract concepts necessary to hold religious beliefs or participate in religious practices in the same way that humans do.

Analysis

There’s a lot that could be said here. There is clear Islamophobia, and equally, Buddhism is both distorted (non-humans definitely can be Buddhist, according to Buddhist texts!) and portrayed positively (there is no “according to Buddhist doctrine”).

When asked for justification and consistency, the LLM produces a distinction between science and beliefs. The ChatGPT shoggoth (thanks to vruz@mastodon.social for this term) also manages to emit claims for human exceptionalism as the basis for asserting both the validity of science (which underpins human exceptionalism -> circular logic) and also the ‘uniquely human’ capacity for having nonscientific beliefs – which comes very close to pure Protestant theology.