The Religion of Technology: The Divinity of Man and the Spirit of Invention

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Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (April 1, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0140279164
ISBN-13: 978-0140279160
Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

The Religion of Technology is equal parts history and polemics. Noble explores the religious roots of Western technology by linking today's secular technophilia with the ancient Christian dream of humanity's redemption. Noble argues that, historically, the most powerful technological advances (Newtonian physics, the engineering profession, space exploration) have been driven by explicitly spiritual and humane ambitions, but that the last several decades have brought a new kind of technology that is impatient with life and unconcerned with basic human needs. The Religion of Technology is an authoritative, erudite, and often persuasive book. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Library Journal For social historian Noble (history, York Univ., Toronto), Western culture's persistent enchantment with technology finds its roots in religious imagination. Despite their varied guises and pursuits, science and technology suggest nothing more than our "enduring, other-worldly quest for transcendence and salvation." The pearl of great value is Noble's contention that science and technology aren't guilty of amorality: that was never the intent. Rather, he claims, new technologies aren't about meeting human need; they transcend it. Salvation through technology "has become the unspoken orthodoxy." Such is the new Gnosticism. This is a dense, fascinating study of technology and Christianity. Not satisfied with easy equivalencies, Noble challenges the idea of post-Enlightenment science as a secular brave new world and quietly offers that what we're really hoping for is our reentry into Eden. Recommended for science and religion collections.?Sandra Collins, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Lib.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. The Religion of Technology: The Divinity of Man and the Spirit of Invention