Abstract
The question concerning technology and its use is an interdisciplinary fascination filled with equal parts enthusiasm and skepticism. Theologians of the Christian tradition, moreover, are keenly interested in the ways in which Industrialization and technological development fit within the consciousness and mission of the tradition. As an Orthodox theologian, this paper engages the question concerning technology through the insight of Fr. Sergei Bulgakov. Bulgakov – The foremost Orthodox theologian of the 20th century – like many of his generation – returned to the Orthodox Church after years of work as a Marxist. While Bulgakov rejected Marxism and its political philosophy as impersonal and devoid of an existential sense of history, he remained committed to a keen understanding of the ways in which the economic modality is attested to in the industrial age, through sophiology and eschatology. Ultimately, Bulgakov sees technology (through an economic lens), in both its embrace and fervent rejection, as the perpetuation of a false dichotomy between the material and the spiritual.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2023 Special Focus—Religion in the Public Sphere: From the Ancient Years to the Post-Modern Era
KEYWORDS
Technology, Orthodox Christianity, Sergei Bulgakov, Idealism, Economics
