Draft Minutes of the Socratic Inklings

March 28, 2002

Topic: Science and Technology Theology

Some questions I think are already well covered territory:

Have Science and Technology become God (for our culture)?

Some thoughts on this question: Science doesn’t have all the capabilities of God. People nowadays judge experience as reality, not science. What are our idols in the present day? Are science and technology outside the moral realm?

Does Science prove/disprove God?

Is Technology "value-laden," that is, does it have (moral) values built in?

Some questions to start discussion:

  1. How does modern understanding of Science and Technology affect the way that we pray to God (e.g., in the requests for healing that we make)?

Ken: my prayer life remains the same in spite of my scientific education.

  1. Are there some technologies (biological, biomedical, or otherwise) that Christians should not use? Are there emerging areas of technology Christians should not participate in developing?

Some proposed criteria for evaluating science:

  • What is the obvious purpose?
  • What are the unintended consequences?
  • Do the ends justify the means? (or what are the means?)
  • Who controls the end product?
  • Who profits (financially or otherwise)?
  • What is the motivating philosophy or idealogy?
  • How does it fit with the schema of Creation, Fall, Redemption?
  • Criteria [Paulo, you’ll have to help me out with these last 2 points]

Curiosity brought about the Fall.

  1. We are created in God's image. We use and create technology. What is God's technology?
  2. What was Jesus's attitude towards technology during his earthly ministry?
  3. JRR Tolkien's attitude towards technology in his writings is either that technology is bad (for aesthetic reasons and that its users are louts) or that it is a means by which Evil can co-opt and manipulate us (generally by an appeal to pride). How does a Christian Engineer or Scientist answer Tolkien's philosophy? How can we be proud of our good work but not fall into the sin of Pride?

Readings

[from The Hobbit]: on the Goblin’s technology

[from The Fellowship of the Ring]: Gandalf tells Sauruman that breaking something to find out what it is is not wisdom.

[from The Two Towers]: Treebeard’s comments on Sauruman becoming a Power

[from The Silmarillion]: How Sauron helped the Elves to forge the Rings of Power

[from The Silmarillion]: Ainulindale: the sovereignty of Illuvatar.

  1. Does Science and/or Technology help to draw us closer to God or do they hinder our having a relationship with God?

Some thoughts:

Could do both

Technology brings us away from God by insulating us from Death

Paulo: Kingdom affirming actions for an Engineer: developing systems and devices that 1) free us from Labor, 2) provide comfort and entertainment, 3) are culturally and environmentally friendly.

objections

Isn’t suffering necessary for developing Faith?

Work is pedagogical (develops Virtue?)

Abstract thought is the only thing not a tool. Everything in the physical world is a tool for use by the will or intellect.

II Cor 10:2-6

2I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.