Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Philosophical and Theological Foundations (Networked Theology: Negotiating…
Philosophical and Theological Foundations
Networked Theology: Negotiating Faith in a Digital Culture
Defining Technology
shifted to focus on application of science
common definition has become "tools" or "machines"
View of technology as "tools" started in 1920s with mass media
media is starting to be questioned not as just a tool but as something more
example: violence in media = more violence in reality
One approach implies technology is connected and embedded with culture and values
Bridging between Technology and Media Technologies
technology is human activity that is carried out within context provided by God for human beings to exercise their creativity and agency
This definition has both pragmatism and novelty
Historical Negotiation with Technology
christianity has the bible
provides useful example of how christianity has been negotiating with technology and media throughout history
From Oral Traditions to Books and Codices
Jesus was orator
used parables in his teachings
also had knowledge of Jewish texts
This model formed preaching
Literate teachers who brought text-based approaches
Connection between leadership and literacy led to bible becoming source of power and authority
Papyrus codex marked acceptance of expression of media technology
Contributed to marginalization of women in the church because they could not read
Literacy as Power
decline of Roman empire led to monasteries controlling writing and education
enhancement of printing technology during Renaissance had religious implications, again linking technology and religion
Bacon connects technological progress seen in natural philosophy with divine purpose
Printing and the Wider World of Text
Printing allowed larger scale publishing
Luther and 95 Theses
Calvin's Institutes of the Christian religion
some people didn't like printing of religions text because it took the human out of it (removed the scribe)
Printing elevated text to make it dominant medium of communication
Different branches of churches started breaking out
led to individual use and interpretation of the bible
worship print materials become standard
today's religious world still embraces or rejects technology
Responses to technology and Media
Optomistic
seen as liberating and overall improvement to human condition
making the world a better place
highlights positive ways technology might be used in missionary work
you can access communities who have not yet heard the gospel
can be used to share churches, bring in younger members, and keep daily activities running
This view can mask problems both environmental and human risks
Pessimism
highlights suppression of individuality and creativity
mass media dehumanizes people and relationship
Ellul - saw positives of technology but believed the negatives outweighed the good
Ambiguity
key proponents of this approach lies in the intention of those using the tool
can simultaneously function in positive and negative way
Barbour - technology is not value-neutral, neither inherently good or inherently evil
technology can compliment religion, but also replace it (idol worship)
Bifocal view of technology: celebrates and is wary
Information - A Very Short Introduction
History is synonymous with information age (no records no history)
Recently human progress and welfare has depended on life cycle of information
Occurrence - discovering, designing, authoring, etc
Transmission - networking, distributing, accessing, retrieving, etc.
Processing and management - collecting, validating, modifying, organizing, etc
Usage - monitoring, modeling, analyzing, etc.
A typical information life cycle
all member of G7 group are information societies because they depend on intangible goods which are information related and not on material goods
The zettabyte era
more people own their own data than ever before
analogy - information society is like a tree growing far reaching branches hastily and chaotically than its conceptual and cultural roots
lack of balance
ex: identity theft
like a tree with weak roots (further and heavier growth at top impaired by a fragile foundation
almost sudden burst of global society after a few millennia of relatively quieter gestation
The Fourth Revolution
Three scientific revolutions
Copernicus - displaced Earth and humanity from center of the universe
Darwin - evolution; displacing humanity from center of biological kingdom
Freud - mind is also unconscious; subject to defense mechanism of repression
If we need representation in the fourth revolution it should be Alan Turing
Inorgs - sharing with biological agents and engineered artifacts a global environment made of information (infosphere)
not talking cyborgs - bringing to light the intrinsically informational nature of human agents
relying on distinction between enhancing and augmenting appliances
enhancing - interfaces that enable the appliance to be attached to users body
augmenting - allow communication between different possible worlds
digital immigrants (older people) replaced by digital natives (younger people)
e-migration will become complete and future generations will feel deprived (disconnected)
talks about ways people buy software
WoW - China "sweatshop" where people are earning high level stuff to sell to people for real money
Life in the Infosphere
industrial revolution moved us from a world of unique objects to a world with objects in it
Window shopping has become online shopping
threshold between here (reality) and there (online) is fading
in near future distinction between online and offline will be gone
"We're preparing the ground for tomorrow's digital slums"