Our ancestors saw the material world as alive, and they often personified nature. Today we claim to be realists. But in reality we are not paying attention to the symbols and myths hidden in technology. Beneath much of our talk about computers and the Internet, claims William A. Stahl, is an unacknowledged mysticism, an implicit religion. By not acknowledging this mysticism, we have become critically short of ethical and intellectual resources with which to understand and confront changes brought on by technology.
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"God and the Chip: Religion and Culture of Technology by William A. Stahl... uncovers the implicit religion of the computer and technology in a fascinating, interdisciplinary analysis. Stimulating for group and individual study." -- Janet Silman, The United Church Observer
"Mysticism needs to be understood to confront the changes and ethical consequences brought on by technology." Rating (very important for the development of science and spirituality) -- Science and Spirit
"Stahl exhibits impressive intellectual breadth and depth in providing a provocative interdisciplinary critique of the mystique that is associated with technology generally and computers and communications technology specifically." -- Reginald W. Bibby, University of Lethbridge
"Stahl uncovers the cultural expectations we place on technology, showin g how religion, pop culture, and the media interact to fan our hopes and fears that technology will alternatively save us and destroy us. His discussion of 'redemptive technology' is one of the most rich, profound, and illuminating discussions of religion and technology in recent years." -- Ronald Cole-Turner, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
"We live in a technological society....the machine and the culture of technology are part of our daily lives. But do we have to worship them?" -- from the author's introduction
"Mysticism needs to be understood to confront the changes and ethical consequences brought on by technology." Rating (very important for the development of science and spirituality) -- Science and Spirit
"Stahl exhibits impressive intellectual breadth and depth in providing a provocative interdisciplinary critique of the mystique that is associated with technology generally and computers and communications technology specifically." -- Reginald W. Bibby, University of Lethbridge
"Stahl uncovers the cultural expectations we place on technology, showin g how religion, pop culture, and the media interact to fan our hopes and fears that technology will alternatively save us and destroy us. His discussion of 'redemptive technology' is one of the most rich, profound, and illuminating discussions of religion and technology in recent years." -- Ronald Cole-Turner, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
"We live in a technological society....the machine and the culture of technology are part of our daily lives. But do we have to worship them?" -- from the author's introduction
About the Author
William A. Stahl is a professor of sociology at Luther College, University of Regina, who specializes not only in the sociology of religion but also in science, technology, and society, and who holds a degree in theology. He is a regional director for the Canadian Network on Science and Religion. Between 1989 and 1993 he was a senior researcher on an international, interdisciplinary team that developed a design model for computerizing the university system in India. His class on religion and the sciences won an award from the John Templeton Foundation’s Science and Religion Course Program
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technological mysticism, redemptive technology, masculine machine, column centimeters, implicit religion, technological veil, gatekeeping devices, indivisible benefits, revenge effects, computer ads, technological frame, computer advertising, magical worldview, computer culture, magical language, relevant social groups Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Age, Faust's Bargain, Venerating the Black Box, The Masculine Machine, Prophets of the Third Age, Ursula Franklin, Good Society, United States, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Ben Sira, Francis Bacon, Robert Bellah, Steven Jobs, One True Faith, North America, Amiga World, Wiebe Bijker, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, Paul Ricoeur, Home Office Computing, Mechanical Paradigm Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
technological mysticism, redemptive technology, masculine machine, column centimeters, implicit religion, technological veil, gatekeeping devices, indivisible benefits, revenge effects, computer ads, technological frame, computer advertising, magical worldview, computer culture, magical language, relevant social groups Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Age, Faust's Bargain, Venerating the Black Box, The Masculine Machine, Prophets of the Third Age, Ursula Franklin, Good Society, United States, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Ben Sira, Francis Bacon, Robert Bellah, Steven Jobs, One True Faith, North America, Amiga World, Wiebe Bijker, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, Paul Ricoeur, Home Office Computing, Mechanical Paradigm Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
3
books
cite this book:
- The Enchantments of Technology by Lee Worth Bailey on page 40, page 122, and Back Matter
- Webs of Reality: Social Perspectives on Science and Religion by William A. Stahl in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Digital Sublime: Myth, Power, and Cyberspace by Vincent Mosco in Back Matter
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