Technology and the inward turn of faith

About Technology and the inward turn of faith

Abstract

Cyberbullying, Internet addiction, job elimination, the destruction of democracy. Digital technology has never before been accused of causing so much harm; the backlash is severe against the contrast of tech's early utopian promises. Much of the criticism has placed the fault with capitalism. Large-scale systems of surveillance and control are increasingly imposed on us by tech companies. Pervasive advertising distracts us from our self-chosen goals while encouraging us to buy things we do not need. Gig-economy platforms reinforce inequitable class boundaries between service providers and consumers. In fact, an argument can be made that digital technology is the latest, most effective expression of capitalism. Capitalism, however, has its roots in the European Enlightenment, and so attributing technology's faults to capitalism only raises the question: What is the deeper cause? I suggest that the deeper cause of our technological malaise could be an excessive focus on external outcomes; and if so, an inward turn as prompted by faith and spirituality could offer a route to recovery. The core principles of the Enlightenment inclined us to focus on the external: external facts, external actions, external objects, and external outcomes. On the one hand, this focus resulted in unprecedented growth in power, knowledge, health, and wealth for many of us. On the other hand, it also appears to be dooming us to inattention, inequality, conflict, and possibly extinction. The Enlightenment's shedding of religion discarded a potent force that focused people's attention on their inner lives; now might be a time to reconsider the value of inward attention.