About Technology and Freedom: Pope Benedict XVI on Faith, Reason, and Politics
| Authors | Cain, Patrick N. |
|---|---|
| Date | 2012 |
| Publication | Perspectives on Political Science |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Vol / Pages | Vol. 41 No. 1 pp. 3-10 |
| DOI | 10.1080/10457097.2012.641443 |
| URL | https://doi.org/10.1080/10457097.2012.641443 |
Type: Journal Article
Tags: freedom, modernity, Philosophy, politics, Pope Benedict XVI, Technology, Theology
Abstract
Pope Benedict XVI connects the problem of technology to the question of how human beings have chosen to employ their reason, both in their encounter with faith and in their pursuit of human freedom. His analysis involves a penetrating study of the history of modern thought, a history he distinguishes from the practice of classical political philosophy. Benedict's willingness to meet the challenge of philosophy, I argue, allows him both to uncover the danger to human freedom that accompanies the modern technological project, and to lay out his understanding of how to best protect and enrich human reason and the practice of virtue. For Benedict, the defense of human freedom against the dangers posed to it by technology depends on the proper relationship between faith and reason, and between philosophy and theology.