Has technology overtaken religion as the chief influence on twenty-first century life and community? In his book Tech Agnostic, Harvard and MIT's influential humanist chaplain Greg Epstein argues yes -- and explores what it means to be a critical thinker with respect to this new faith.
Encouraging readers to reassert their common humanity beyond the seductive sheen of “tech,” this book argues for tech agnosticism—not worship—as a way of life. Without suggesting we return to a mythical pre-tech past, Epstein shows why we must maintain a freethinking critical perspective toward innovation until it proves itself worthy of our faith or not.
Epstein asks probing questions that center humanity at the heart of engineering: Who profits from an uncritical faith in technology? How can we remedy technology's problems while retaining its benefits? Showing how unbelief has always served humanity, Epstein revisits the historical apostates, skeptics, mystics, Cassandras, heretics, and whistleblowers who embody the tech reformation we desperately need. He argues that we must learn how to collectively demand that technology serve our pursuit of human lives that are deeply worth living.
In our tumultuous era of religious extremism and rampant capitalism, Tech Agnostic offers a new path forward, where we maintain enough critical distance to remember that all that glitters is not gold—nor is it God.
Speaker info:
Greg M. Epstein serves as Humanist Chaplain at Harvard & MIT, and Convener for Ethical Life at MIT's Office of Religious, Spiritual, and Ethical Life. TechCrunch's first “ethicist in residence,” he is the author of Good Without God and has also written for MIT Technology Review, CNN.com, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and Newsweek.
IFTF Foresight Talks are moderated one-hour sessions introducing you to some of the best foresight strategists, designers, and leaders in the world, IFTF Foresight Talks expand the flow of conversation within the global foresight community. They are free, open to all, and provide plenty of time for your questions!