Technology offers freedom from many things, but for what does it free us? Read more
Technology offers freedom from many things, but for what does it free us? Read more
Back story: the quest for wisdom Our purpose in writing these columns is to grow in wisdom for faithful living in this digital age. More easily said than done! Wisdom requires learning, but is more than mere academic competency. Wisdom presumes purpose and meaning, which necessitate a worldview, but Christian faith is more than a worldview. Wisdom transcends categories. It is personal. It accrues through experiential learning. Faith is a journey, and wisdom accrues along the meandering, spiritual path of... Read more
The period of technological change we are living through will have a profound impact on the future of work. As has happened before, new forms of work will become possible and current forms of works will be automated, adapted, and abandoned. Today is the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, the patron and model of workers, so it seems like a good day for a bit of theological reflection on the relationship between technology and work. (For historical background on... Read more
On the origin, failure, and recovery of technological hope in our time. Read more
In defense of Mark Zuckerberg, I would like to point out that he has remained true to his ideals. That shows integrity. He has also successfully maintained control of the company. That takes vision and fortitude. These are admirable virtues. No one should be surprised at anything Facebook has done or left undone. Mr. Zuckerberg spelled out his ethos clearly at the time of Facebook’s IPO in his personal letter to investors. In that letter, dated February 1, 2012, Zuckerberg... Read more
Significant digital divides characterize the digital age—divides related to access, literacy, and wisdom. Read more
As we focus on improving selective attention, we must also cultivate a more receptive form of attentiveness. Read more
Daniel Herron is the pastor of one of the largest and most diverse churches in the country. It boasts more than 14,000 members, has multiple campuses, represents several countries, and is growing bigger every week. Rev. Herron just turned 18 years old. And the church is virtual. Roblox, released in 2006, is an online “sandbox” gaming and social media platform with more than 64 million users. In the gaming portion, you build and play interactive games with a Minecraft-like functionality.... Read more
There’s no such thing as artificial ethics. “The information society is like a tree that has been growing its far-reaching branches much more widely, hastily, and chaotically than its conceptual, ethical, and cultural roots.” —Luciano Floridi, Information: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2010) We can imagine the growth of artificial intelligence as a huge tree spreading outward in all directions. Its branches are bearing real fruit: AI is continually finding new ways to cut costs, save energy, cure diseases,... Read more
Luciano Floridi, who has been developing the philosophy of information as a new area of inquiry since the late 1990s, argues we are living through a scientific revolution that is changing how we understand our nature and our role in the universe. Floridi identifies this as the fourth major revolution of the modern era to transform how we see ourselves and the world. The first of these revolutions, following Copernicus, established a heliocentric cosmology that displaced the Earth and humanity... Read more
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