In a brief interruption to the series studying autonomy, I would like to discuss a simple philosophical question. Could technology truly ever replace religion? I don't mean in the sense of making individuals atheists, I'm referencing how the growth in technology can now fulfill roles that religion used to cover.
Religion vs. Technology as a measure of understanding for out world.
Religion tells us the world was created in one week by a kind and benevolent God who loves us, judges us, and promises us eternal bliss if we follow his set of social rules. The backdrop in this largely lies in faith, any evidence outside of this is sketchy at best, whether that be a near death experience, or our Mary “presenting” herself on a piece of bread. Technology on the other hand explains our world as a natural progression of random events, from the big bang to evolution, technology tends to try to develop a concept of understanding for everything. Many would claim that technology and science is superior in this sense as it requires logic, evidence and testing. However, truly how many individuals who use technology to measure their world truly understand the complexity of the big bang as governed by quantum mechanics? A jump of faith is required here as well, not coming to the conclusion that “It's a secret to everyone,” but instead coming to the conclusion “It must be true because some other people smarter than I understand it.”
Religion vs Technology as a societal focal point.
During a large part of western society we've focused our society around the church, up until the concept of the separation of church and state, it truly was one of the largest factors effecting our lives. This separation of church and state didn't even stem from a individuals wanting to shrink the churches role, it instead came from church philosophers wanting top preserve the holiness of the church. Since the separation, we have become a technological society, with every individuals carrying a cell phone and a laptop. While it may not yet say “in technology we trust” in our pledge, the fact that it can and is regularly broadcasted over the web implies this. With religion as a focus, we chose to concern ourselves with a preparation for a possible next life, with technology as a focus we chose to better this one as much as we can.
Religion vs Technology as a social comfort.
Religions roles as a comfort is an obvious one, the promise that an all loving God is looking out for us and doing what he can to make our experience a meaningful one truly can bring upon that warm and fuzzy feeling. Technology’s comforts are a quite a bit different. Most of technology and the sciences don’t claim that there is no God, they just instead chose to give people comfort knowing that if the individual can buy it, they can increase their quality of live. The individual is comforted by what human medical and recreational technologies exist and knowing that someone else in fact understands them.
In a brief closing, I am not proposing that technology and religion aren’t capable of coexistence, I am simply making an observation that modern technology can substitute old roles of religion. However, this is simply one observation, please leave your regards in the comments below. Perhaps, answerer the question of “What aspect of life does religion help us with that technology cannot.”
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