|
Computer Theology
|
|
Computer Theology is the branch of Computer Science and Theology concerned with the study of the role of religion in computer networks. Computer Theology uses religious studies (a perspective external to religion) and theology (a perspective internal to religion) to understand the evolution of computer networks in regards to that of human societies and to formalize their constituting concepts. * Illustration of theological concepts using computer science methodology. * Establishment of parallels between the evolution of computer networks and that of religious social orders. * Relating theological questions to the computer scientist's experience. * Studying computer concepts from a theological point of view. History The first published mention of Computer Theology is possibly found in Deane William Ferm's 1984 article Outlining Rice-Roots Theology where the author presents Asiatic theological perspectives and asks in return whether the West should also develop an idiosyncratic perspective in the form of Computer Theology. Then the first article entitled Computer Theology was perhaps W. Paul Jones' 1986 article Computer Theology: A New Era for Theology, which presented a forerunner picture of a computer network similar to what the World Wide Web would be, a facilitator for the knowledge base of the theologian. The first Computer Theology book may be David Lochhead's (), which contains his 1984 speech on the emergence of computers as theological concept. The next book () was a systematic study of a verse of the Bible using computer science for illumination by Donald E. Knuth. In 1998 Jennifer Cobb () situated Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's holistic perspective with the global network. () broadened Knuth's 1990 study by investigating the relationship of a computer scientist to computer activities in the light of theology. Then Anne Foerst published her presentation () of Kismet, a robot developed at MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, which brought a new perspective to Computer Theology by reversing Donald Knuth' paradigm and studying computers from a theological perspective. More recently Bertrand du Castel and Timothy M. Jurgensen published () a review of the World Wide Web (and specifically the Semantic Web) from a theological perspective, comparing the trust and policy infrastructures of human social groupings and digital networks to predict coming forms of computers. Bibliography * * * * * * 
|
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Main Menu
| Home |
| Articles |
| Search |
| Submit Article |
| Contact Us |
| Donate to Wikibin |
