Untethered τέχνη
“…The only thing that restrains science is the sense of the sacred.” Dr. Warren Gage
The polls tell us that we as a collective whole are becoming less religious and less concerned about sacred and holy things, at least in the Western world. At the same time we are becoming more and more entranced with science and technology, what the ancient Greeks called τέχνη (Techne). Most people walk around with a fairly advanced computer that we call a smart phone. We now drive “Smart Cars” that have all the latest gadgets. Medical advances assist the human family in living longer and healthier and for most people science and technology are usually seen as “good”. Very few people seem to be concerned with the technological advances that …show more content…
We in the West, because of our separation and denial of anything transcendent and holy, at least in a practical way, seem to have no limits or restraints upon our τέχνη (Technology/Science). In a very reall sense it feels as if it has become untethered and is allowed to float free. The proof, I think, is undeniable; take for example what the Nazi’s did in the name of science and progress. “At Auschwitz, Dr. Josef Mengele injected dye into the eyes of children to see if he could permanently change their color. He also famously tried to create conjoined twins by stitching his patients together.” But it wasn’t just Nazi’s that did horrific things to humans in the name of science and technological advancement. During the 50s and 60s American scientists subjected unsuspecting soldiers and patients to plutonium to see what would happen. In more recent times we have had the cloning of animals and the tampering with DNA. There are even scientists today who think that the next great advance will be the placing of microchips into our brains so that we can control our computers and TVs without keyboards and remotes. Other examples could be multiplied but the fact is that we have continued to remove barriers to the progress of technology, the main barrier or tether is the
“…The only thing that restrains science is the sense of the sacred.” Dr. Warren Gage
The polls tell us that we as a collective whole are becoming less religious and less concerned about sacred and holy things, at least in the Western world. At the same time we are becoming more and more entranced with science and technology, what the ancient Greeks called τέχνη (Techne). Most people walk around with a fairly advanced computer that we call a smart phone. We now drive “Smart Cars” that have all the latest gadgets. Medical advances assist the human family in living longer and healthier and for most people science and technology are usually seen as “good”. Very few people seem to be concerned with the technological advances that …show more content…
We in the West, because of our separation and denial of anything transcendent and holy, at least in a practical way, seem to have no limits or restraints upon our τέχνη (Technology/Science). In a very reall sense it feels as if it has become untethered and is allowed to float free. The proof, I think, is undeniable; take for example what the Nazi’s did in the name of science and progress. “At Auschwitz, Dr. Josef Mengele injected dye into the eyes of children to see if he could permanently change their color. He also famously tried to create conjoined twins by stitching his patients together.” But it wasn’t just Nazi’s that did horrific things to humans in the name of science and technological advancement. During the 50s and 60s American scientists subjected unsuspecting soldiers and patients to plutonium to see what would happen. In more recent times we have had the cloning of animals and the tampering with DNA. There are even scientists today who think that the next great advance will be the placing of microchips into our brains so that we can control our computers and TVs without keyboards and remotes. Other examples could be multiplied but the fact is that we have continued to remove barriers to the progress of technology, the main barrier or tether is the