Modern Technology and the Human Future

I recently finished reading Craig Gay’s book, Modern Technology and the Human Future and found it to be a very balanced approach to many of the questions we find ourselves asking about the good and bad of contemporary technology. We all know how valuable our hand-held devices can be and Gay speaks highly of the gains in productivity and efficiencies afforded by such devices before citing some telling statistics. “‘On average,’ one recent study found, ‘people in the United States across all age groups check their phones 46 times per day’, roughly once every fifteen minutes. For people between the ages of eighteen to twenty four, that number goes up to seventy four times per day, or once every twelve minutes.”[1] Many might say that we are enslaved to our phones, but if that word seems a little harsh, let’s just say we are obsessed with our phones. What are we checking for on our phones? Well it could be all kinds of good information in the virtual libraries of information available to us. We could be exploring art galleries in distant cities, getting the latest facts on nutritional information, or following NASA’s ever curious explorations of the galaxy. More likely than not, we are checking our social media accounts to see how many people have liked our recent post or seeing what posts others have made that we can like, hate, find funny, or thumb-up.

Gay is not a technophobe or luddite, his confessions in the chapter entitled “A Personal Conclusion” make this clear, but what he is saying is that we must consider every advancement in light of the good it will do and what we will give away as we embrace the technology. He points out that one of humans’ early advances was going from an oral culture to a written culture and to a culture of the printing press. Socrates expressed concerns that increasing literacy rates would have a debilitating impact on memory.[2] Of course he was right! Oral societies must commit all important information to memory, but as soon as one adapts to a written culture, much can be stored in lists, recipes, personal journals, and text-books. However, without literacy, one could well argue that we would never have the kind of understanding of who we are and what we can do.

Gay does lament that contemporary technology tends towards seeing all of nature as a machine.[3] Photosynthesis in the hands of a scientist can become nothing more than physics and chemistry. Similarly, the human body and mind can also be viewed as a complex machine that could, given enough time, be converted into a mechanical device to house our consciousness. He also calls us back to remembering who we are. “The church has long recognized that if the eternal Word of God ‘became flesh and made his dwelling among us,” as the apostle John declares (Jn 1:14), this confers staggering value upon ordinary fleshly existence.”[4] “While the Christian church always stands in need of remembering its theology, the need today is particularly acute, given how rapidly automatic machine technology is trending away from ordinary embodied human life.”[5]

In this book, Gay calls us to “repent of our hubris” and recognize that the “principle precept of Christian discipleship is that we are not our own” and that our “task, therefore, is primarily one of stewardship.”[6] He speaks of a proper place for technology where it “starts great conversation” and an improper place when it “prevents us from talking with and listening to one another.”[7] Proper uses of technology will lead to greater harmony of people, animals, plants, and rocks rather than dis-harmonies. Gay calls us back to our theology of being, incarnation, and eucharistic embodiment and prompts us that the eucharist or communion meal is to be a place where we reorient ourselves around what is important: God and his people embodied in flesh.

There is much more that could be said, but I leave it to the reader to take the time to purchase and read this book for yourself. It is readily available wherever books are sold.

Works Cited

Gay, C. M. (2018). Modern Technology and the Human Future: A Christian Appraisal. Downers Grove: IVP Academic.

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[1] 2015 data; (Gay, 2018, pp. 31, 32)

[2] (Gay, 2018, p. 25)

[3] (Gay, 2018, p. 101)

[4] (Gay, 2018, p. 133)

[5] (Gay, 2018, p. 165)

[6] (Gay, 2018, p. 169)

[7] (Gay, 2018, p. 177)

Automation

Somewhere in a dark research lab in Oak Brook, Illinois, Ronald McDonald is working on further developments in retinal scans, finger-prints, and facial recognition. The latest technology in use at my local McDonald's is just one step away from using this technology.

Recently, I walked into a McDonald's in Calgary, Alberta and was confused about how I should order. There was still one person at a till at the counter, but there were six shiny, new, touch screens where I could place my order as well. I could sort through categories and touch pictures of my favourite burger, drink, and fries, place my order and pay for my meal. It was a surprisingly fast and efficient process. I was given an order number and the factory in the back of the restaurant (still an assembly line of people – for now) put together my order. When it was ready, my order number showed up on a screen above the counter and a smiling host handed me a tray carrying my meal.

I thought about how they could take this process to the next level. A number of mechanisms could be used to identify a person when they walked into the restaurant (thus, the research in Illinois); something as simple as giving each person a unique number and pin with which they could log in to a terminal could work. Then, the device could ask you if you wanted your usual order or something different (most of us are creatures of habit when it comes to fast-food) and streamline the process further. The terminal could be linked to your usual method of payment and instantly your order would be placed. Now that would be “fast-food!”

Of course we might ask some questions about this process. What about the number of employees at the counter? Where will they work if not at McDonald's? Perhaps they will work at the factories producing facial recognition cameras. What about the personal, human, element? How personal is the usual exchange at any till? “Hello, can I take your order? Big Mac, fries, and coke. That will be $X.YY. Thank you. Have a nice day.”

We have asked these types of questions since before Henry Ford started building cars on an assembly line. Those who lamented the loss of personal craftsmanship and the human touch have been labelled “Luddites” for about the same length of time. Yet, those questions are still worth asking. There may be a place for automated systems as well as a place for old-fashioned craftsmanship, customer service, and the personal touch. Perhaps we should think about the industries where each type of service is appropriate: restaurant chains, the health industry, manufacturing, book sales, … Might we slow down long enough to make some informed decisions rather than let technology take the driver’s seat? What kind of society do we truly desire? We need to ask these questions before they are answered for us. For now, I will go back to quietly eating my Big Mac, ignoring everyone around me while I check Facebook on my phone.

The Mercy of the World

“The mercy of the world is you don't know what's going to happen.” ― Wendell Berry, Jayber Crow

As children, and then young adults, we start out into this world without a very good sense of who we are. The older we get, the more we realize our capacities, our strengths, our weaknesses, our gifts from God, and the things that we will never accomplish. If I had known from the start the gifts I would be given, I might have set out to take advantage of those abilities and might not have attempted some other things. I would have been a lesser man for taking that approach; for we learn our true weight in the world by testing our legs. One cannot truly learn that they are good at something until they try, practise, and perfect that ability. Conversely, one does not learn their weaknesses and disabilities without a good number of attempts and failures.

Despite our questions, insecurities, curiosities, and frustrations, God has given us a good gift in not allowing us to know our futures. "When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more" we will look back over our lives with an eye to how the story was woven together from its many balls of yarn. We will see the smooth and harmonious colours of the ordered portions of our lives and we will see the snarls, loose loops, broken strands, and clashing colours of the places along the way in which we made small and large mistakes - and the times when the horror of the world impinged upon the fabric of life. Then, we will know how much we have been blessed, the true nature of our work will be understood, and we will appreciate the full grace of the One who holds all of the fabrics together in the tapestry of a collected community.

Edwin Aldrin

Edwin Aldrin, better known as Buzz Aldrin, turned 85 last January. If he can celebrate a few more birthdays he will be on track to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first manned moon landing on July 20^th. Aldrin piloted the Apollo 11 Lunar Module (LM) to the surface of the moon and landed it at 20:18 UTC on July 20, 1969. Six hours later at 02:56 UTC on July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong and he stepped onto the surface of the moon.

Aldrin, an elder in the Webster Presbyterian Church, had decided to take a home communion kit with him on the flight to the lunar surface. While still in the LM he spoke these words over the radio contact with mission control.

I'd like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours, and to give thanks in his or her own way. (Listen to the recording here)

He then read a portion of the Bible to himself, ate a small piece of bread, and drank a tiny chalice of wine as a brief ceremony known as communion. Webster Presbyterian Church in Webster, Texas has the chalice used for communion on the Moon, and commemorates the event annually on the Sunday closest to July 20 with what has come to be known as Lunar Communion Sunday.

Buzz Aldrin has lived an incredible life which has been described in his book Magnificent Desolation. It tells of moments of greatness like his contributions to the Apollo landing and his discovery of an Earth/Mars orbit called the Aldrin Cycler; but it also tells of times of depression, alcoholism, and marital struggle. Aldrin later stated that he has now had second thoughts about how he celebrated the moon landing.

Perhaps, if I had it to do over again, I would not choose to celebrate communion. Although it was a deeply meaningful experience for me, it was a Christian sacrament, and we had come to the moon in the name of all mankind -- be they Christians, Jews, Muslims, animists, agnostics, or atheists. But at the time I could think of no better way to acknowledge the enormity of the Apollo 11 experience than by giving thanks to God. It was my hope that people would keep the whole event in their minds and see, beyond minor details and technical achievements, a deeper meaning -- a challenge, and the human need to explore whatever is above us, below us, or out there.

Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin is certainly an interesting and complex man. He has the capacity to inspire us to do great things and dream big. He has also learned to give thanks and live a grateful life. May he inspire us to do the same.

Works Cited:

Huffington Post, The Moon Communion Of Buzz Aldrin That NASA Didn't Want To Broadcast; Posted: 07/19/2014 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/19/moon-communion-buzz-aldrin_n_5600648.html

Webster Presbyterian Church website; http://www.websterpresby.org/content.cfm?id=314

Wikipedia, Buzz Aldrin, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzz_Aldrin 

I Have an Idea

I have an idea. It is an idea that could be developed into something great in the hands of an Elon Musk, Rod Canion, or Richard Branson. A great entrepreneur would take an idea like mine and pursue it until it became a great technological boon; or until the idea was found to be completely lacking in practical benefit. In my hands, it is only an idea. It will never see the light of day and I will never take the necessary risks to develop the idea into real technology. How many other grand ideas are floating in the human consciousness that will never see day-light? What makes one person pursue an idea and another person hesitate?

My idea has to do with the security industry and would help in the identification of those who commit thefts or industrial espionage. The concept is that when an unauthorized intruder entered a home, office, or industrial complex, they would unknowingly be sprayed with a cloud of GPS traceable nano-particles. When police came to investigate the robbery or invasion, they would be handed the "key" that would allow them to track the nano-particle cloud on the intruder. Police could then find and arrest the suspect knowing that they would have good "chain of custody" for the evidence that linked the suspect to the crime. I believe this to be a novel concept; and yet, I know I will not invest in the development of the idea. So, I write this idea here in the hope that an entrepreneur might be inspired by this concept. Maybe someone else will run with it or maybe someone else is already thinking about such things. One day this technology may be available.

Aldrin Cycler

Some people have the ability to think beyond their own time and consider what the world might look like in generations to come. One such person that has recently caught my attention is Colonel Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.1 Aldrin was the second person to set foot on the moon and has led a life of celebrity since that epic 1969 mission. He is a fascinating person and, in his 2009 biography, Magnificent Desolation, he is open about his personal struggle with depression and alcoholism following his NASA career. He is also outspoken about his Presbyterian faith and is known for having celebrated communion on the moon.

Aldrin has continued to invent and discover new concepts. In 1985, at the age of 55, he discovered an orbit which would allow an object such as a comet or spacecraft to cycle between the earth and Mars. Aldrin proposed that humans could take advantage of this orbit and insert a spacecraft (sometimes called the Aldrin Cycler) into this orbit that could carry men and women to Mars. The cycler would continually orbit between Earth and Mars with periodic close flybys of each planet. One complete orbit would take two and one seventh years, while the trip from earth to Mars would take around five months. Mars missions could rendezvous with the cycler at these strategic flyby points and personnel could ride the cycler between the planets. They would exit at the next close encounter. This would reduce the amount of rocket fuel needed to travel between the two planets as it uses the gravitational tugs of each planet in a gravity assist flyby. Take a look at this video that describes how the concept works.

From a science and technology perspective, it is a fascinating concept. Once the cycler was inserted into its orbit, the initial trips could be devoted to delivering materials to this neighbouring planet. Robotic missions could place living quarters, food supplies, and other things needed for the first missions with humans on-board. Imagine hitching a ride on an artificial comet safely protected from the cosmic rays of space. A rotating living space inside the cycler could generate an artificial, centripetal gravity where travelers could carry out experiments on scientific questions related to space travel as they spent five months on the journey to the planet. Then, when the travelers arrived they could explore the surface of Mars, set up a scientific station on the planet, and perhaps eventually colonize the planet.

The other aspect of this story that is also of interest to me is the mindset of "Buzz" Aldrin.  He is definitely looking toward the future with this proposal. He is now 83 years old and the project would not possibly get started before 2020. He is pioneering and seeking to contribute to something that will benefit future generations. Many times in business, science, and even the church, our vision is very short-sighted. If there is no benefit for our present or for our immediate future, we tend not to think about such things. I like reading about those who are dreaming and creating a vision for the future. We need more of these dreamers. Perhaps I can integrate some of Aldrin's spirit into the work I do. I will give some thought to how I can help build a better future for those who will come after me.

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzz_Aldrin

Millennials

A recent conference in Calgary has me dreaming of the kind of church that will thrive in the next generation. James Penner was the guest speaker at the Western Canada Leadership Summit and he challenged us to think about the characteristics of the Millennial Generation (variously defined, but for the purposes of these talks, defined as "young people born in the 80s and 90s and coming into their adult years now, in this new millennium."1). The talks were based on his own research published in a report entitled "Hemorrhaging Faith". The research consisted of 250 hours of literature review, 72 coast to coast interviews, and 2,049 Angus Reid survey responses.

Some of the conclusions of this study are sobering. The surveys and interviews confirmed what some have been saying in the literature: "Many college students take their religious beliefs and practices and put them safely on hold - in an inner 'lockbox' - to be reengaged later in life."2 Penner cites three factors which have the greatest influence on whether or not Millennials engage faith:

* whether or not their parents regularly read the Bible,
* whether or not the Millennials believed their parents prayed outside of table grace,
* whether or not their parents attended religious services.

He also suggested that there are five toxins which Millennials are adept at detecting:

* Hypocrisy (saying one thing and doing another)
* Condemnation (judgementalism as opposed to judgement)
* Exclusivity (this is a club in which I don't belong)
* Failure (lack of grace for those who fail)
* No opportunity (people standing in the way of others taking leadership)

This is not to say that Boomers or Gen Xers like these toxins; but, rather that Millennials have a lower tolerance of them and greater detectors for them. "If these exist in the church, they are not just a little dust in a corner, they are a hairball in the soup!"

The most often quoted statement of the seminar was that of Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann who said, "Worldview hangs on the thin thread of conversation."3 That is, we don't change worldviews through argument but through listening to others and sharing our own perspective. This statement is even more true now than when it was first stated in 1966.

James Penner further suggested that young people have seen the pursuit of perfect bodies but they seldom see anyone pursuing a perfect soul. He believes that they are looking for a church that empties itself in the same way that Christ emptied himself (Philippians 2:5-8): "A self-emptying Christ requires a self-emptying church."4 I think I am beginning to see what this future church might look like.


1 http://larche.ca/a_human_future/ahf_learning_from_millenia_youth_James_Penner.pdf
2 (Clydesdale 2007)
3 (Berger and Luckmann 1966)
4 Adapted from various authors and the concept of kenosis.

Works cited:
Berger, Peter, and Thomas Luckmann. The Social Construction of Reality. New York: Open Road Integrated Media, 1966.
Clydesdale, T. (2007). Abandoned, pursued, or safely stowed? Brooklyn, NY: Social Science
Research Council. Retrieved from http://religion.ssrc.org/reforum/Clydesdale.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenosis