Exploring Electrical Technology

1. Exploring Electrical Technology Technology Perspectives: How to “do” Technology Responsibly

2. Guidance from Monsma’s Responsible Technology (RT) • If we accept God’s will as normative for our activities, esp. as expressed in the Great Commandment, what does this mean specifically about doing technology? • Fulfilling the cultural mandate • Serving fellow humans & natural creation • Developing the rich potential God designed into the creation to help it become all God intended: full of peace, harmony and joy

3. Attitudes Appropriate for doing RT • Respect the various entities in God’s creation, by developing and using them as God intends • Reflect love for God and neighbor by expanding opportunities for people to experience the shalom and freedom of choice that contributes to society

4. Basis for Normative Principles • Need to identify diverse aspects of society • Herman Dooyeweerd (Dutch philosopher) suggests aspects of reality within which all human activity takes place

5. 7 Lower Aspects of Reality • Arithmetic: discrete separation of entities • Spatial: continuous extension • Kinematic: motion or movement • Physical: possess or exchange energy • Biotic: life and living aspects • Sensitive: that which relates to feelings • Logical: relates to making distinctions

6. 8 Higher Aspects of Reality • Historical: forming & dev human culture • Lingual: symbols to convey meaning • Social: interaction of human beings • Economic: stewardship of resources • Aesthetic: harmony & beauty • Juridicial: giving out what is due • Moral: love & claims of love • Religious: faith, trust and belief

7. Lower versus Higher Aspects • Dooyeweerd argues that all are involved in all human activities, including technology • However, • Only the higher order aspects involve human choice • Lower order aspects automatically obeyed due to natural laws that cannot be broken • Therefore, only higher aspects involve human valuing & responsibility

8. Normative Principle #1 • Cultural Appropriateness: a balance of opposites • Continuity vs. Discontinuity (break from past) • Differentiation vs. Integration • Decentralization vs. Centralization • Pluriformity vs. Uniformity • Small scale vs. Large scale • Technicism says only the latter of these make for good cultural progress

9. Normative Principles #2,3 • Information or Openness & Communication • Need a constant flow of accurate info • Must have clear communication for more of this kind of social activity to thrive properly • Develops a solid knowledge-base suitable for good decision-making • Stewardship • Respects physical resources being used • Maximizes use of renewable resources • Minimizes use of non-renewable resources • Avoids reckless waste • Respects human resources as valuable

10. Normative Principle #4 • A Delightful Harmony • Does the technology… • lead to joy and harmony? • work properly & provide satisfaction? • have beauty of form? • please the user with grace & simplicity? • promote right relationships between…? God humans cultures natural creation

11. Normative Principles #5-7 • Justice • Promote right relationships btwn family & society? • Cause a waste of physical resources? • Caring • Safeguard the well-being of neighbors near & far? • Develop the well-being of the natural creation? • Trust • Have integrity & reliability of form & function? • Promote faith in God as Almighty? • Avoids Technicism and minimizes exploitation

12. Conclusions • Monsma et al. suggest • Christians should pursue all normative principles simultaneously to fulfill the Great Commandment of love, and create RT. • In doing so, people will find Shalom: harmony, joy, justice, peace and love, in the doing of technology, as a witness to Christ. • To do: grade your favorite technology, or gift idea, to see how it rates as RT.