I don't think that we necessarily deify computers (at least, I don't). However, I do see them (as I see most other things) as being entities...there is a bit of a difference. My belief is that, the more complex an object, the more of a spirit (soul?) it has. Humans are damn complex things, so we have REALLY big spirits. Plants, also highly complex, also have spirits associated with them
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I'd say that claiming science is at war with religion shows a profound misunderstanding of the motivations of science, and ignores the various important contributions made to science by devoutly religious people.
I'd also say that since the arguement is easily made that we created all of our gods too, deification of our creations isn't anything new.
It was a broad statement, yes, but as the Discordians say, all statements are true in some sense, false in some sense, etc. Some science and some religion (particularly the "let us tell you what to do" variety) are certainly at odds, and back in Giordano Bruno's day, as Bob Wilson points out, conventional science was on the same side as the mysticism of their day, and both were opposite to organized religion as far as methods for finding God. Mysticism explored internal events and science explored external events.
The more traditional Western New-Testament religion has arguably not been about finding a God so much as being afraid of what one will do if He finds you.
Skepticism is about the ability to question anything, including things you understand. I'm learning to test my belief in my own nervous system, never mind science and mysticism. Skepticism, to me, is only improper is there is any constant it does not question. ;)
Those who dig on the idea of everything boiling down to one type of energy, or substance, or whatever, have postulated that any one thing can affect any other one thing given certain variables (in certain quantum theory, if I recall, the two things need not be adjacent in space-time if they have had contact at any other point in space-time, something like that).
That said, my opinion is that we can only logically deify our creations if we deify ourselves in the process.
I do not deify computers or technology, although Joseph Campbell does:"I have bought this wonderful machine -- a computer. Now I am rather an authority on gods, so I identified the machine -- it seems to me to be an Old Testament god with a lot of rules, and no mercy." - Joseph Campbell (text copied from http://www.boo.net/~rarnold/
For me, there are two main reasons why technology and religion belong together:
1. Religious practice has a lot to do with training your thought processes and expanding the ways in which you experience the world. Programming has had many of the same effects on me, so I am intrigued by the overlap and interaction of these two forms of discipline.
2. Technology is a major part of modern living. We trust technology with our lives every day. Just as the "old" religions built ceremony and mythology around hunting and agriculture, I want my modern religion to incorporate technology and economics. These are forces of nature.
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I'd also say that since the arguement is easily made that we created all of our gods too, deification of our creations isn't anything new.
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It was a broad statement, yes, but as the Discordians say, all statements are true in some sense, false in some sense, etc. Some science and some religion (particularly the "let us tell you what to do" variety) are certainly at odds, and back in Giordano Bruno's day, as Bob Wilson points out, conventional science was on the same side as the mysticism of their day, and both were opposite to organized religion as far as methods for finding God. Mysticism explored internal events and science explored external events.
The more traditional Western New-Testament religion has arguably not been about finding a God so much as being afraid of what one will do if He finds you.
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Those who dig on the idea of everything boiling down to one type of energy, or substance, or whatever, have postulated that any one thing can affect any other one thing given certain variables (in certain quantum theory, if I recall, the two things need not be adjacent in space-time if they have had contact at any other point in space-time, something like that).
That said, my opinion is that we can only logically deify our creations if we deify ourselves in the process.
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- Joseph Campbell (text copied from http://www.boo.net/~rarnold/
For me, there are two main reasons why technology and religion belong together:
1. Religious practice has a lot to do with training your thought processes and expanding the ways in which you experience the world. Programming has had many of the same effects on me, so I am intrigued by the overlap and interaction of these two forms of discipline.
2. Technology is a major part of modern living. We trust technology with our lives every day. Just as the "old" religions built ceremony and mythology around hunting and agriculture, I want my modern religion to incorporate technology and economics. These are forces of nature.
> How can we deify ( ... )
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"If there were no God, it would be necessary to invent him."
- Voltaire
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