Thursday, September 29, 2011

Read me first

Welcome to this new blog which tries to add to the growing conversation that aims at reinvigorating the understanding of technology from a Christian perspective.


So to some definitions…


The English suffix – ology - as in technology and theology simply for our purposes here refers to the study of a particular subject.


The English term theology is derived from the theologia (θεολογια) was originally was used with the meaning "discourse on god". Today it has multiple technical meanings but within the Christian tradition I think these can be thought of as the study of the teachings and history of the Biblical texts.


The English term Technology derives from Techne which, with the ology part, means the study of arts skills and crafts. Today and often mention comment and complaint is that technology has come to mean not the study of techne but techne itself – as in biotechnology.

 I will come back to definitions of technology and the ology of techne in a future blogs.


The transforming vision part of the title has a double meaning.


1.      In the first meaning – it is a hope that this blog is another voice towards reforming the Christian understanding of technology; and

2. The voice I want to add is one that recognises that ‘transformation’ – the creation of new things is part of human DNA. The impulse to create is surely part of image of God (as broken as it may be). From language (which technically probably cannot be classified as technology) through to flint axes, fire and the technologies of first peoples (for example the boomerang in Australia and bentwood cedar boxes in British Columbia through to the cultivation of wheat. Humans where technological long before the wheel, writing and smelting and those technologies are thousands of years old.

Although, I am bit of a latecomer to this particular dimension of the consideration of technology, I have spent more than 20 years researching and working within the fields of innovation studies and science, technology and innovation policy.

 Blogroll

 You can read my other blogs:


I can recommend the blogs of 2 others that I have met working on this topic:


Both are great bloggers and probably a bit more frequent than myself. My goal is to add one solid think piece per month.

I hope you will come back and visit.

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