TED Conversations

Scott Knightly

Undergraduate Student, St.Francis Xavier University

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

In today's technologically run world, what is the new role of religion?

Since the past generation of the baby boomers took control of society, science and technology have risen. In this shift, society went from a religious centered society to a technology centered one. Now this shift was part of a much larger change in the way humans think which has been going on for many tens of hundreds of years. From the polytheist Greeks to the monotheistic Islamic people, the shift in religion has been something that took thousands of years to develop to what it is today. So the question I pose is "What, now, is religion's role?" and/or "Is that the role it is meant to play?" Now I am not saying that Science or Religion are correct, I am only asking what purpose it now serves society after falling as a community creator, and a spiritual binder. Where does it fall today and is it useful to us?

Topics: God Norms concepts history psychology religion science society sociology
+2
Share:

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.

  • thumb

    Gerald O'brian 50+

    • 0
    Oct 26 2012: Technology doesn't change the role of religion, which is very simple : to cause people to protect it from rationnal ideas, hence to survive this way.
    Technology, however, affects the way ideas spread.
    • thumb

      Scott Knightly

      • 0
      Oct 27 2012: Interesting concept. Is it fair to say that, by your logic, technology has no impact on religion socially?
      • thumb

        Gerald O'brian 50+

        • 0
        Oct 27 2012: I'm not sure I understand your question. Would you please rephrase?
        • thumb

          Scott Knightly

          • 0
          Oct 27 2012: Certainly! You said that "Technology doesn't change the role of religion..." My question is whether, by that logic, you believe that technology has had no impact on religion as a social institution at all.
      • thumb

        Gerald O'brian 50+

        • 0
        Oct 27 2012: Thanks.
        I'm sure there's been an impact, since I think technology has changed the way ideas spread, and since I think the social institution of religion is mostly about how it spreads.
        • thumb

          Scott Knightly

          • 0
          Oct 27 2012: So would so say that technology could become a channel for religion? (Obviously beyond Tv evangelists and mass for shut ins).
      • thumb

        Gerald O'brian 50+

        • 0
        Oct 27 2012: Technology enhances the spread of ideas more than it contains it. In addition to that, it seems that rationnal ideas are better suited for surviving this enhanced spread : indeed they are rationnal because they've already survived some criticism. Irrationnal ideas do better in remote, isolated places with no other, or few other ideas around.
        So this and that put together, I think that although technology can be expected to benefit religion at first (see what the printing press has done for christianism), it seems probable that technology ends up doing more harm than good to belief systems and traditions.

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.