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Ethical Use of Technology

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The Library at the Heart of the AI Boom

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Whatever the library is trying to recapture, it is merely a simulacrum of the real. The library nestled within OpenAI’s headquarters is recreated, undoubtedly with pristine accuracy, but devoid of its time and place, and therefore, devoid of context. The library is a metaphor for the output ChatGPT produces, a simulacrum of reading and writing.

The Manhattan Project and the Seduction of Technology

Monday, March 11, 2024

The popularity of Oppenheimer provides a good cultural touchpoint for discussing human nature, trusting in God, and the technological imperative as exemplified in the Tower of Babel story.

An Introduction to Reproductive Technologies

Friday, April 22, 2022

Although RT no longer garners many headlines, this does not mean that it is free of controversial ethical issues, many of which challenge religious beliefs regarding marriage, family, and more broadly what it means to be human. Consequently, it is incumbent upon Christians to evaluate RT in light of their most deeply held theological and moral convictions, especially those considering using RT and those providing pastoral care and guidance in the discernment process.

The Hope and Hype of Medicine and Technology

Monday, November 28, 2016

[T]he progress that has been made, combined with this hype of decontextualized and often exaggerated claims by the media, continue to fuel the hope of medicine and technology: “If we could only accomplish a little more . . . .” But more is never enough. And hope, commingled with the fear of death (Heb 2:15), can fuel an attitude of “taking and keeping” (the “agency”), one that grasps at and clings to the technological hope of immortality. From here one can easily (and subtly) fall prey to worshipping technology and progress as gods.

Life with Borders

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Dolly’s clone was not easily conceived, for it took researchers 277 attempts before they produced 29 embryos that survived longer than six days. Even then, only one lamb was born as a result! And here is where the ethical implications begin to appear, for if a similar ratio of human embryos were used in an attempted human cloning, the loss of human life would be morally unconscionable.

Evaluating Uterine Transplantation

Thursday, May 25, 2017

The desire to have a child of one’s own is a compelling force for many women. This desire drives many of the technological advances in reproductive medicine of which uterine transplantation is a prime example. Its recent development highlights the quagmire of ethical issues arising from technological advancement. When perfected, this procedure would appear to be a promising achievement, providing women who would have had no possibility of reproducing with the hope of having a child of their own. But are there other ethical implications to consider, particularly in the context of church life and practices?

C. S. Lewis and The Abolition of Man

Thursday, June 15, 2017

In The Abolition of Man—published nearly 75 years ago—C. S. Lewis speaks indirectly, though perhaps prophetically, to our current complexities—reminding us that there is truly nothing new under the sun. In the title chapter of the book, Lewis asks the question, “In what sense is Man the possessor of increasing power over Nature?”[2] Are we able to have the control over Nature and live the autonomous lives we desire? In our attempt to understand and fully live out what it means to be human, is it possible to conquer those aspects of Nature we believe hinder, diminish, or destroy our flourishing, thereby solidifying our humanity?

Peter Lawler’s Stuck with Virtue—and Technology

Friday, November 10, 2017

All too many of us (both those outside the church and sadly too many within as well) look to technology as a kind of savior, believing it will alleviate all our pain and afflictions, leaving us with nothing but happiness. Such an idea, Lawler says, is futile. Not that happiness is wholly elusive; rather it “is more than a chemical problem that has a technological or biotechnological solution.”[1] Even if these means can solve some of our ailments, they will undoubtedly introduce new problems. Lawler points out, “we will never live in a world without the reality of catastrophes, without sin, suffering, loneliness, profound disorientation, dementia, and death.”[2]

Advent Hope for a MedTech World

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

“Advent” comes to us from the Latin adventus meaning “arrival” or “coming to.” We celebrate this beginning with the lighting of the hope candle. It reminds us of the promise of a coming savior, the messianic hope—a hope that as Jesus said to his disciples that “many prophets and righteous people longed to see . . . and to hear” (Matt 13:17 NIV). We remember this hope, as it was realized in the coming of the Christ in the most vulnerable of human forms, an infant. And yet, in this very same hope we remember that the fulfillment of the first Advent, was also marked by the promise of a second Advent, the blessed hope. As the Nicene Creed affirms, having been seated at the right hand of the Father, Jesus Christ “will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom shall have no end.”

Christian Ministry in a Digital Age

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Many studies in neuroscience report that extensive usage of social media and screen technology changes the human brain in ways that make it difficult for a person to maintain sustained levels of concentration. Nearly thirty years ago, Jane M. Healy argued in her book, Endangered Minds, “that we are rearing a generation of ‘different brains.’”[1] How much more might this be the case today than it was then? Such changes raise important questions. How are all of these technologies shaping us? And, what ramifications does this have for worship, preaching, and religious education?

Is the Old Testament Relevant to Our MedTech World?

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Our brave new world is here, thanks to a new gene editing technology called CRISPR. (And it’s cheap! Maybe you qualify for a free CRISPR kit? Google it.) The potential applications of the technology are myriad.

Is Always On Always Good?

Friday, August 21, 2020

We are at a relatively early stage in developing digital social networks. With Facebook, smart phones, and GPS, we can find what we are looking for and track our friends with comparative ease. Interconnectivity is developing to the point at which, when we are sent electronic communications, algorithms identify what we might like on the basis of the included content. Satellite and CCTV offer some degree of surveillance, but not to the extent provided by the Bentham Grid. The narrator tells us that in 2023 “you can’t do anything in New York City without the Grid knowing who you are and where you are.” Merely science fiction? Read on.

Chasing Methuselah: Theology, the Body, and Slowing Human Aging

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

In Chasing Methuselah, Todd Daly examines the modern biomedical anti-aging project from a Christian perspective, drawing on the ancient wisdom of the Desert Fathers, who believed that the Incarnation opened a way for human life to regain the longevity of Adam and the biblical patriarchs through prayer and fasting. Daly balances these insights with the christological anthropology of Karl Barth, discussing the implications for human finitude, fear of death, and the use of anti-aging technology, weaving a path between outright condemnation and uncritical enthusiasm. Below is an interview with Daly on his book.

AI and Human Futures: What Should Christians Think?

Dignitas Vol. 30, No. 4 (Winter 2023)

Biotechnology and the Connection between Our Physical and Spiritual Natures

Dignity Vol. 10, No. 2 (Summer 2004)

The Promises and Perils of Technological Progress in Healthcare

Dignitas Vol. 22, No. 3 (Fall 2015)

Science, Research, and the Limits of Bioethics: A Recap of Our 22nd Annual Summer Conference

Dignitas Vol. 22, No. 3 (Fall 2015)

A Christian Response to Xinjiang: Technological Repression and Cultural Genocide

Dignitas Vol. 30, No. 2 (Summer 2023)

Biotechnology, Human Enhancement, and the Ends of Medicine

Dignitas Vol. 29, No. 3-4 (Fall-Winter 2022)

Ivan Illich on the Convivial & Industrial Society

Dignitas, Vol. 28, No. 3-4 (Fall-Winter 2021)

Senator Sam Brownback Keynotes at Largest Ever Summer Conference

Dignity Vol. 7, No. 3 (Fall 2001)

In Whose Image? Remaking Humanity through Cybernetics and Nanotechnology

Dignity Vol. 8, No. 1 (Spring 2002)

The Power and Peril of Genetic Technology: Reflections on Spider-Man

Dignity Vol. 8, No. 3 (Fall 2002)

A Review of the Book Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution

Dignity Vol. 9, No. 1 (Spring 2003)

A Review of the Book Life, Liberty and the Defense of Dignity: The Challenge for Bioethics

Dignity Vol. 9, No. 2 (Summer 2003)

The Genetics of Mice and Men: Can—and Should—We Intervene?

Dignity Vol. 9, No. 3 (Fall 2003)

Beyond Therapy: A Report of the President's Council on Bioethics

Dignity Vol. 10, No. 1 (Spring 2004)

A Review of the Book Rapture: How Biotech Became the New Religion

Dignity Vol. 10, No. 4 (Winter 2004)

Biotechnology, Human Enhancement, and the Ends of Medicine

Dignity Vol. 10, No. 4 (Winter 2004)

Updates in Neuroethics

Dignitas Vol. 16, No. 3 (Fall 2009)

From iPods to iHumans: What Will Nanotechnology Do to Us?

Dignitas Vol. 16, No. 4 (Winter 2009)

Beyond Therapy Conference

Dignitas Vol. 17, No. 1-2 (Spring-Summer 2010)

Ligers, Tigons, and Splice: Human-Animal Hybrids

Dignitas Vol. 17, No. 1-2 (Spring-Summer 2010)

From the Director's Desk (Spring 2012)

Dignitas Vol. 19, No. 1 (Spring 2012)

Is Always On Always Good?

Dignitas Vol. 19, No. 4 (Winter 2012)

Annual Summer Conference – Health and Human Flourishing

Dignitas Vol. 20, No. 3 (Fall 2013)

Mitochondria Replacement to Avoid Maternal Transmission of Mitochondrial Disease

Dignitas Vol. 20, No. 3 (Fall 2013)

What Is So Bad about EPO?

Dignitas Vol. 20, No. 4 (Winter 2013)

From the Director's Desk (Summer 2015)

Dignitas Vol. 22, No. 2 (Summer 2015)

Affective Computing: An Update

Dignitas Vol. 22, No. 3 (Fall 2015)

Big Data in Medicine

Dignitas Vol. 22, No. 4 (Winter 2015)

Physical Death Is Certain and Permanent: A Review of the POLST Paradigm

Dignitas Vol. 22, No. 4 Supplement (Winter 2015)

CRISPR Update: Considerations for a Rapidly Evolving and Transformative Technology

Dignitas Vol. 23, No. 1 (Spring 2016)
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