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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Michael J. Paulus, Jr.

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 7 of 7

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Data And Identity: Notes Toward A Theology Of The Digitally Enhanced Self, Michael J. Paulus Jr. Oct 2019

Data And Identity: Notes Toward A Theology Of The Digitally Enhanced Self, Michael J. Paulus Jr.

Michael J. Paulus, Jr.

In the HBO-BBC miniseries "Years and Years," a teenager named Bethany (!) comes out as transhuman and tells her parents she wants to “live forever as information ... [to] be data!” As information about us increasingly takes the form of digital data, we are all of us becoming data. Indeed, so much of our attention and agency is engaged with digital information in digital environments that the philosopher Luciano Floridi describes us as “inforgs” living “onlife” in an “infosphere.” Through nearly constant and ubiquitous patterns of digital interactions with human and artificial agents, we are creating digitally extended and enhanced …

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Technology And Hope, Michael J. Paulus Jr. Oct 2019

Technology And Hope, Michael J. Paulus Jr.

Michael J. Paulus, Jr.

In our present moment of profound and rapid technological change, the clash of utopian hopes with dystopian fears is a matter of daily experience. The Demaray Tower on SPU’s campus points to a greater hope for technology. Beneath the clock on the south side, images of technology situated within the human journey through history and life suggest that human artificial creations may participate in God’s new creation. This session will explore how we can think critically about the transformative role of technology in education and our broader lives as we cultivate and realize faith for the future.

Presented with R. …

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Artificial Intelligence And The Apocalyptic Imagination: The Ends Of Divine, Natural, And Artificial Agency, Michael J. Paulus Jr. Jul 2019

Artificial Intelligence And The Apocalyptic Imagination: The Ends Of Divine, Natural, And Artificial Agency, Michael J. Paulus Jr.

Michael J. Paulus, Jr.

New information and communication technologies (ICTs) are reshaping our lives and the environments in which we live to such an extent that philosopher Luciano Floridi claims we are living through an information revolution. ICTs are changing our self-understanding, how we relate to each other, and how we understand our role in the world. At the center of this revolution is the advent of auto­mated information processing and intelligent systems.

These technologies of artificial intelligence (AI) raise questions about data collection, algorithmic agency, and the future of every dimension of life. They also inspire a range of hopes and fears. Some …

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Our Technological Past And Future: From Predigital To Postdigital Apocalypses, Michael J. Paulus Jr. Sep 2015

Our Technological Past And Future: From Predigital To Postdigital Apocalypses, Michael J. Paulus Jr.

Michael J. Paulus, Jr.

An exploration of technological hopes and fears in apocalyptic literature.

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The Beginning Of Digital Wisdom, Michael J. Paulus Jr., Ryan Ingersoll Jun 2015

The Beginning Of Digital Wisdom, Michael J. Paulus Jr., Ryan Ingersoll

Michael J. Paulus, Jr.

Marc Prensky, who popularized the term “digital natives” more than ten years ago, now emphasizes the need for “digital wisdom”: using digital technologies wisely to become wiser. Recent research reveals that so-called digital natives are often “digital naïves”—familiarity with digital technologies does not translate into facility with them. Incoming college students report declining confidence in their computer skills and report very modest improvements by the time they graduate. Employers report deficiencies in the technological skills of college graduates and, perhaps most troubling, studies of youth and young adults show that ethical and moral reasoning does not extend much beyond self-protection. …

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Technology And Power, Michael J. Paulus Jr. Oct 2014

Technology And Power, Michael J. Paulus Jr.

Michael J. Paulus, Jr.

No abstract provided.

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Digital Wisdom For A Digital Age: Spirituality And Technology In The 21st Century, Michael J. Paulus Jr., Ryan Ingersoll Sep 2014

Digital Wisdom For A Digital Age: Spirituality And Technology In The 21st Century, Michael J. Paulus Jr., Ryan Ingersoll

Michael J. Paulus, Jr.

In 2011, the Seattle Pacific University Library established a new service area for students called the Tech Desk. Initially conceived as a place where students could get help with and access to technologies needed for academic work, this program quickly became an incubator for ideas and innovations around meeting students’ technological needs. In 2014, we surveyed our largely “millennial” undergraduate population to assess the program and explore ways of enhancing it. Results from this survey, which are consistent with other research that complicates the notion of “digital natives,” revealed that our students desire and need help thinking about the role …

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