While technology has become a synonym of permanent change, one of the core issues on the contemporary existential agenda is whether technologies are capable of changing our lives and the way we perceive religion and spirituality. ‘Remaining Human in a Co-created World’ is one of the chapters in the book Technology and Religion wherein Noreen Herzfeld answers provocative questions by providing an insightful overview of the links between booming technology and religion.
While trying to comprehend the essence of technology, Herzfeld follows a three-layer perspective. Primarily, she reflects on the technologies of the human body (including stem cells, cloning, genetic engineering, mechanical enhancement, pharmaceutical technologies, and cyborgs). Then, the author refers to the technologies of the human mind (including virtual reality and cyberspace, and human and artificial intelligence). Finally, she investigates the technologies particular to the external environment (including genetically modified organisms and advanced agricultural technologies, nanotechnology, and energy technology.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Technology And Religion".
In her pursuit, Herzfeld offers a broad approach to the issues of religion and particularly articulates on how these issues interrelate with Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Through the lens of these faith traditions, the author examines the interrelation of moral and ethical issues with cutting-edge technologies. Eventually, she provokes a continuous dialogue between religion and technology.
Such interrelationship is unconventional since religion often seems as a volatile topic, whereas technology is often used as a standard conversation starter. While people hold different views on the acceptable applications of technology and technological advancements (including end-of-life care, cloning, stem cell therapy etc), such uses raise serious moral concerns. Thus, in ‘Remaining Human in a Co-created World’, Noreen Herzfeld reveals the conflicting nature of the interrelationship between technological advancements and cultural concerns. She emphasizes on the tensions and religious and ethical dilemmas provoked by the newest technological advancements.
She deliberately urges hi tech leaders and experts to account for the difficulties of moral decision making with regard to technology. For this purpose, she appeals to the reflections of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic thinkers about new technologies and their impacts on the human body, the human mind, and the external environment. By thoughtfully illustrating the challenges assumed by technological advancements, Herzfeld appeals to the complex decisions assumed by end-of-life care, especially the issue of life support withdrawal. While the medical profession grounds on fatal condition presence, therapy efficacy, patient’s autonomy, and burden of medical treatment on patients, their families, and communities, the latter often ground their choices on religious views. Thus, the author provides different perspectives on these critical issues held by Christian, Catholic, and Muslims scientists. In particular, she proves that Christian scientists refuse medical interventions because they “might consider certain treatments religiously forbidden or undesirable and thus a spiritual burden” (p. 52). By contrast, Muslim and Catholic scientists would emphasize on human life’s sacredness as the core value. Hence, they would accept feeding tubes and other life support devices, unless death is imminent. These faith-related issues urge the society to explore complex questions of how technologically advanced appliances are changing the practice of medical care.
Overall, Noreen Herzfeld claims that while technological advancements are leading to the enhanced human existence, they simultaneously pose serious ethical challenges before us. By providing comprehensive evidence in various fields varying from biology and computer science materials engineering and nanotechnology, Herzfeld weaves complex dialogue wherein religious and cultural issues intervene with technologies. For instance, while observing various uses of cloning and stem cells, she appeals to the thoughts expressed by prominent Christian and Muslim leaders. However, instead of receiving answers to these controversial issues, Herzfeld invites us to further investigate these issues and reflect on what would be one’s moral stance on an embryo if the cutting-edge technologies would transform human cells into embryonic cells. On pages 31–34, she also questions the balance between human embryo and life-saving benefits. This way, the author is offering us her welcoming voice in treating the existing discrepancies between technological applications and ethical implications.
As was said, Herzfeld intends to provoke questions rather than provide readers with readily available answers. This thought-provoking approach makes her text fascinating and highly readable. Compared to many other books on euthanasia and stem cells, Herzfeld addresses complex theological questions arising when our lives depend on practical applications of technologies. The author concludes that we should embrace or reject technologies depending on their effects on our creativity, responsibility, and relationship with an outer world. While the technological advancements urge us to abstain from one of these existential domains, then their impact is destructive. On the other hand, we can effectively apply technological means to help the suffering and heal the sick. This indicates that largely our survival is a question of a well-balanced coexistence with the newest technologies.
Herzfeld’s compelling text addresses contemporary moral and ethical issues on the background of fast technological developments. The author offers a synergy between these issues to benefit our existence in today’s fast-changing realities. She attempts to seek a balanced dialogue between religion, science and technology as a prerequisite of our better future. In her rhetoric, she emphasizes on a broad range of scientific inquiries to encourage our re-consideration of the role of modern technologies in our life from the perspective of culture, morality, religion, as well as our creation, and God. At that, she pursues a Socratic approach that assumes thought-provoking questions rather than readily available answers while. This is because anticipating clear solutions for such complex existential issues would be at least naive.
