The Christian and Technology Criticism: A Complex Yet Urgent Task

Our ethical relationship to technology is not exhausted by the familiar issues of too much screen time, pornography, or the vulnerabilities of social media. Neither is it as simple as using or not using this or that technology. Tech ethics is an implicate of theological anthropology--an aspect and fruit of understanding who we are and what we are for.

In various episodes of Greystone Conversations, we've sought to introduce you to the growing network of thoughtful, capable, and helpful scholars and church leaders who make up Greystone's core workforce. And so it is our great pleasure today to introduce two talks by Greystone associate fellow and founding board member, Mr. Michael (L. M.) Sacasas. What follows are the first two talks in a series of lectures Mr. Sacasas gave at Greystone under the title "Tech, Faith, and Human Flourishing," the full set of which is available at Greystone Connect. The first of the two talks that we have stitched together for today's episode is called "Challenge Accepted: Thinking About Technology," and addresses the critical need for thinking about technology that avoids both thoughtless pessimism and uncritical optimism. Common misconceptions and assumptions about technology that impede thoughtful consideration of technology are also examined. 

Beginning with a discussion of what technology criticism entails, the second talk "Defining Technology," then takes up the surprisingly thorny task of delimiting the concept designated by the word technology. This semantic exercise is a useful introduction to the task of technology criticism which Mr. Sacasa caries out in the remainder of this series which explores traditions of technological criticism; ethics of technological mediation; humanist technology criticism; technology, habit, and the body; technology, embodiment, and intention; algorithm, technological outsourcing, and the religion of technology; algorithms and the life of the mind; and memory, outsourced and automated. 

Many of you may remember Mr. Sacasas from the first two episodes of Greystone Conversations in which we talked through the ethical difficulties experienced in our day in the context of personal interaction, communication, and engagement. Mr. Sacasas' series on Technology, Faith, and Human Flourishing explores the technological aspect of that difficulty in greater depth and with great effect. Those who find these lectures valuable might consider listening to the whole series of talks by Mr. Sacasas available at greystoneconnect.org, or perhaps even consider becoming a greystone member in order to gain access to this series and all other full course lectures, postgraduate seminars, and symposia and lecture events held by Greystone and our Lydia Center for Women and Families.