The Web as Liberation Theology
I like to straddle the difficult and ever-shifting line between philosophy/theology and the scientific method.
I have a Divinity degree, five years of seminary work and an undergrad major in Religion but I teach Physics. Go figure.
Yet, this piece from Trevor Butterworth troubles me. Perhaps the most head-scratching part for me is Butterworth’s insistence that technology is more philosophy than science. Sure, there’s a healthy balance required, but going back to the Greeks (from which we derive the term), τέχνη has always implied more applied science functions rather than concerning itself with morals or ethics.
His concluding paragraph:
Beware The Internet As Liberation Theology – Trevor Butterworth – Medialand – Forbes: “In this context, it is time to stop thinking about the Internet as a kind of liberation theology; the key issue facing everyone in the next decade is figuring out how to use the Internet and how to discern its societal benefits from its over-hyped Utopian promises. This is a critical discussion that demands the engagement of philosophers. If they could only hurry up.”
I think his beef here is with the web, not the internet. I know “the Internet” has entered the phase of its terminology lifespan as a concept that means the web, but if Butterworth is going to talk philosophy, we have to realize that words and definitions matter. The internet includes a number of protocols and ideas that make it distinctive from the web (based on one of those protocols). Yet, the examples he gives in the piece are all web-based.
That aside, the notion that a trained guild of philosophers must deduce the platonic meaning of the internet/web and then disseminate that knowledge (based on “critical discussion”) outwards is anachronistic at best.
Take a look at the open source movement. Better yet, take a look at open source philosophical or theological movements. In terms of the application of societal import, this type of organic development is much better suited to understanding the web and its future as a part of our culture than relying on the engagement of philosophy PhD’s (though their input is very valid).
The internet/web has always been about DIY. That’s what does make it so Utopian and why it does hold so much promise. Perhaps that is also why it is so threatening to my own profession of teaching… it places the responsibility on the user to figure it out.
Who knew the web would end up teaching us more about ourselves than itself?
Sam, I know you have more than enough to do (ha!) but I wanted to tell you about the masters degree I’m getting from Quinnipiac University. It’s a Masters of Science in Interactive Communication – all online, of course, though you can take it on campus at their New Haven, CT location. It’s a two year degree that you probably wouldn’t need at all, but you would LOVE the content – at least the first two week’s worth, which is as far as I’ve gotten. We were actually discussing this idea in one of this week’s modules titled “Structure of Knowledge.”
All along throughout our readings, watchings, comments, etc, I’ve been thinking of how the structure of the web (and our relationship to it) is reflecting this “post-modern” way of thinking that those in the religious world are discussing. I think it is through analyzing and understanding how and why the internet and interactive communications are reflecting and directing our society and the way we connect, that those of us in the church will find a new way to share and say the “old message.” And unfortunately, so many have come to think the delivery of the message (i.e. for many, the Bible, but also church, songs, routines, etc) is the end rather than the means to the end. When that is threatened by a “new way,” they think the very essence of the message is unraveling. I like to think it is only getting stronger.
Anyway, thanks for your connections too. If you’d like, I’ll share links with you now and then of good readings/videos, etc. I thought this was a great lecture about the anthropology of YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hU&feature=player_embedded.
Thanks for your comment, Natalie! Good to hear from you and hope things are going well with the CBF etc.
I hadn’t heard of the program from Quinnipiac. That does sound like quite an interesting course of study. Let me know how it goes in the coming months.
BTW, Quinnipiac has a beautiful campus… go visit one day. There was a great Mexican restaurant nearby the campus that we used to love when I was down the street at Yale for my masters. One of my classes there was “theological anthropology” and it was insanely mind-bending. I had never really conceived of abstractions like “sin” or “grace” in terms of the real physicality or development of our biological selves, but it was a thrilling semester for me. My professor was a fan of saying that modern Christianity is a gnostic shell of its former self and we’ve left the brain/body impacts of religion out of the mainstream b/c it is so uncomfortable. Fascinating stuff.
What the web means to the body of Christ or to religion in general is equally thrilling to ponder. I feel as if we’re on the edge of either the end of something that needed to go away or the beginning of something that will allow for the real revolutionary nature of faith to get into our collective consciousness while giving individuals a voice. The decider will be how we handle the organic nature of the both the web and of faith… do we go the suburban route where we over-tend to the grass and make everything artificially pretty and aesthetically pleasant or do we go the completely natural route and let dandelions bloom. My own libertarian/anti-corporate roots are betraying me here!
An “anthropology of YouTube” is a great concept to study. We’re having similar conversations at my little school to determine how deep/wide we should wade into the social media waters in respect to childhood development, etc. This video is perfect for our discussion. Thank you for sharing that
You rock.
Thank you-
Sam
I hope to get to QU’s campus for graduation in 2012. We took a tour of New England when we lived in Raleigh in 2004 and ate at the “first hamburger joint.” Love that area!
I’m actually not with CBF anymore – we moved to Mobile, AL, in April for my husband to be a resident pastor at Hillcrest Baptist – we’ve got 3 years here to try to revive this church (once had 300 members, now has 30! eek!). I am doing contract work, though, and AL CBF is one of my clients. So I’m still connected to that world…
I love your thoughts on the role of the web with the Body of Christ. I hope and believe that we are on the cusp of a revolutionary nature – in the same way that the Reformation was critical to the changing of thinking in that time period. I’m curious about whether you’ve read any of Brian McLaren’s stuff (New Kind of Christian, Story We Find Ourselves In, and The Last Word and The Word After That, among others). He really opened the conversation for me, after some life experiences. If you’ve read him, I’d love to know your thoughts and if not, let me know when you do!
I look forward to the appropriate time to link your school work to my classmates – I love seeing what you are doing in the classroom (I’m a former elementary teacher myself and got out b/c of the system…I just didn’t feel like I could actually teach with all the other expectations) and in a class like “interactive communications,” we need to see how it can be effectively used!