SMC 306H1F
Christianity and New Technologies
St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto
Fall 2005
Tuesday, Thursday 10-11 (CR 103)
Course Website: http://ccnet.utoronto.ca/20059/smc306h1f/
Daryl Culp, BMath, MTS, PhD
Odette Hall 123
Office hours: TW 11-12
Phone: 416-926-1300 x.3142
E-mail: daryl.culp@utoronto.ca
Website: http://individual.utoronto.ca/darylculp
Course Description
Technology represents a significant
challenge to Christian traditions. This course will explore Christian responses
to technologies such as genetic engineering, cyberspace and life extension.
Students will examine the metaphysical perspectives and metaphorical images
that the Christian tradition presents to respond to the claims of unbridled
technology.
Exclusion: RLG 338Y1
Recommended Preparation: SMC 230Y1Y
Objectives
1. Students will learn about the wide
range of interactions between Christian faith and technology.
2. Some of the most recent technological
advances will be examined, as well as reactions by theologians.
3. Students will be encouraged to develop
their own theological responses to technology.
Course Requirements
1. Media blog
(find at least 3 websites on the topics discussed in this course; write a
theological commentary on technology in our society; post to electronic
bulletin board, (2-3 pages total; 600-900 words: 10%); hand in printed copies
with citations of links).
2. Response to a reading assigned for
class (2-3 pages; 600-900 words), posted to electronic bulletin board (10%).
3. Research
Paper (6-8 typewritten double-spaced pages; 1800-2400 words, formatted in any
humanities style): (40%) An outline must be approved by the professor (1 page
point form).
4. Final exam (30%).
5. Class participation (10%) including
debates, short writing assignments, etc.
Note: Late assignments will be deducted 2%
per business day, up to a maximum of 10 working days, after which they will not
be accepted.
Note: Students agree that by taking this
course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity
review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be
included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for
the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. The terms that apply to the
University’s use of the Turnitin.com service are described on the Turnitin.com
website.
Text
(available at the Bob Miller Book Room,
Albert Borgmann,
Power Failure: Christianity in the Culture of Technology (
Tentative Schedule
Note:
Week 1: Introduction
September 13: Mythical and metaphorical images
of technology; clip from Koyaanisqatsi, Naqoyqatsi http://www.koyaanisqatsi.org/
September 15: Daryl Culp, “Notes on faith
and technology” http://individual.utoronto.ca/darylculp/lectures/faithtech1.htm ; Max More, Extropian Principles 3.0,
section 4, “Intelligent Technology” http://www.extropy.org/principles.htm
Week 2: What is technology? Why should we
speak theologically about it?
September 20: Jacques Ellul,
excerpt from The Technological Society http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jsa3/hum355/readings/ellul.htm ; Martin Heidegger, “The Question Concerning Technology” (1-5,
11-14) http://www.culturaleconomics.atfreeweb.com/Anno/Heidegger%20The%20Question%201954.htm
September 22: Borgmann
C. 1 “The Invisibility of Contemporary Culture” (11-24)
Week 3: Is Technology opposed to the
spirit?
September 27: Borgmann
C. 2 “The Moral Significance of Material Culture” (25-34)
September 29: Hubert L. Dreyfus, “
Technology and Human Nature
Week 4: Human beings as creators
October 4: Kevin Kelly, “Nerd Theology” http://www.kk.org/writings/nerd_theology.pdf
October 6: Willem Drees,
“Playing God? Yes!” Zygon 37:3 (Sept. 2002) http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/zygo/37/3
Week 5: Modifying human nature: Genetic
engineering
October 11: Daryl Culp, “Biotechnology:
promise or peril?” http://individual.utoronto.ca/darylculp/lectures/faithtech2.htm; Frances Fukuyama, “A Tale of Two Dystopias” in Our Posthuman Future http://www.fsgbooks.com/fsg/ourposthumanfutureexcrpt.htm
October 13: Sondra Wheeler, “Making
Babies” http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=soj9905&article=990541f
plus one article from Church of Scotland, Science, Religion and
Technology Project http://www.srtp.org.uk/geneng0.shtml
Week 6: Biotechnology and God
October 18: Ronald Bailey and Dinesh D’Souza, “Our Biotech
Future” http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/news/Mar2001/BiotechFutureAnExchange.html
October 20: Clive Thompson, “How to Farm
Stem Cells Without Losing Your Soul” http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.06/stemcells.html
*** Media blog
due ***
Technology in Community
Week 7: Information, networking and
relationships
October 25: Wendell Berry, “Why I am not
Going to Buy a Computer” http://www.tipiglen.dircon.co.uk/berrynot.html ; John Perry Barlow, “The Economy of Ideas” http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.03/economy.ideas_pr.html
October 27: Lorne Dawson, “Doing Religion
in Cyberspace: The Promise and the Perils” http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/SOC/relcybercsssr.html
Week 8: Autonomous reason and the totally
planned society
November 1: Douglas Groothuis,
“Ode to the Book” http://ivpress.gospelcom.net/groothuis/doug/archives/cat_poetry_music.php ;”The Book, the Screen, and the Soul,” Excerpted from The Soul in Cyberspace http://www.apologeticsindex.org/books-01b.html
November 3: David Noble, “The Automation
of Higher Education” http://communication.ucsd.edu/dl/ddm1.html
Technology and Metaphysics
Week 9: The nature of existence in a
technological world
November 8: Miriam Schulman, “Attack of
the Killer Tomatoes?” http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/submitted/schulman/tomatoes.html ; or
Eric Schlosser, “Why McDonald’s Fries
Taste So Good” http://www.rense.com/general7/whyy.htm ; plus one essay from Canadian Council of Churches, “Life: Patent
Pending” http://www.ccc-cce.ca/english/downloads/oncomouseebook.pdf -- print copy available at
the Toronto School of Theology building, 47 Queen’s
November 10: Albert Borgmann,
C. 4 “Contingency and Grace” (65-80)
Week 10: Technology and immortality
November 15: Culp, “Heaven on Earth:
Theological Responses to Technologies of Immortality” http://individual.utoronto.ca/darylculp/lectures/immortalshort.doc
November 17: Borgmann,
C. 5 “Power and Care” (81-94)
*** Outline for final paper due ***
God and Technology
Week 11: Divinization of technology
November 22: C. Christopher Hook, “The Technosapiens are coming”
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/001/1.36.html
November 24: Borgmann,
C. 6 “Liberty, Festivity and Poverty” (95-108)
Week 12: Metaphors of God in a technological
age
November 29: Culp, “Religious Dimensions
of Information Technology” http://individual.utoronto.ca/darylculp/lectures/faithtech3.htm; variation on The 23rd Psalm http://www.joke-archives.com/computers/psalm23programmers.html
December 1: Borgmann,
C. 7 “Courage
and Fortitude” (109-116)
Week 13: Living as a Christian in a
technological world
December 6: Borgmann,
C. 8 “The Culture of the Word and the Culture of the Table” (117-128)
December 8: Culp, “Notes on faith and
technology: Methods of integration” http://individual.utoronto.ca/darylculp/lectures/faithtech4.htm
**** Final paper due *****
Final exam (scheduled by UT)