Eschatology and the Technological Future

The rapid advancement of technology has led to an explosion of speculative theories about what the future of humankind may look like. This text seeks to contextualize the growing literature on the cultural, philosophical and religious implications of technological growth by considering technological futurisms such as transhumanism in the context of the long historical tradition of technological dreaming. Burdett traces the latent religious sources of our contemporary technological imagination by looking at visionary approaches to technology and the future in seminal technological utopias and science fiction, and formulates a contemporary Christian response to transhumanism.

List of contents

1. Introduction: Our Technological Future, Philosophy and Religion Part I: Visionary Approaches to Technology and the Future 2. Planning for the Technological Future: Technological Utopianism 3. Science Fiction and the Technological Imagination 4. Transhumanism and the Future Part II: Theological Responses to Technology and the Future 5. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Eschatology: The Technological Optimist 6. Jacques Ellul and Eschatology: The Technological Pessimist Part III: Philosophical and Theological Issues in Technology and the Future 7. Heidegger: Ontology, Technology and Eschatology 8. Possibility and Promise: A Christian Response 9. Conclusion: Hope in a Technological World

About the author

Michael S. Burdett is Postdoctoral Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford, UK and a Visiting Fellow at the University of St Andrews, UK

Product details

• Authors: Michael S. Burdett, Michael S. (Wycliffe Hall Burdett, Burdett Michael S.
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 23.12.2014
• EAN: 9781138826335
• ISBN: 978-1-138-82633-5
• No. of pages: 252
• Series: Routledge Studies in Religion
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Christianity; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Miscellaneous; RELIGION / General, Philosophy, RELIGION / Christian Theology / Eschatology, RELIGION / Eschatology, Christianity, Philosophy of religion, Religion and science, Religion & science