Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam: Embodiment and Intelligence

Description: An analysis of Michelangelo's *Creation of Adam* as used in *The Atomic Human* to explore human intelligence, its limitations, and its anthropomorphic tendencies.
Source: Referenced from *The Atomic Human* by Neil D. Lawrence, published by Allen Lane in 2024.
Tags:

Image source Wikimedia Commons. File in public domain. Original in the Sistine Chapel.

This image of Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam is used in The Atomic Human to contrast divine and mechanical creation, emphasizing our limited communication bandwidth and the embodied nature of intelligence. It illustrates humanity’s inherent tendency to anthropomorphize intelligence, both divine and artificial.

Neil D. Lawrence uses this iconic image to frame discussions on what makes human intelligence unique, exploring themes of embodiment and communication constraints. The fresco serves as a symbol of human aspiration and cultural shifts—both during the Renaissance and in today’s age of AI innovation.