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“Disputierende Theologen” One way of thinking about this is in terms of how secularisation \u2013 the idea that religion loses influence in society \u2013 has generally (although\u00a0debatably<\/a>) come to characterise Western culture. This has broadly polarised religion and technology. Religion is often seen to concern irrational, spiritual ideas and technology rational, scientific principles.<\/p>\n But there is growing concern that pioneers of new technologies \u2013 the likes of Apple, Google, and Facebook, who all reside in Silicon Valley \u2013\u00a0have paid too much attention to the technical<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Holzstich von Bothe nach einem Gem\u00e4lde von O. G\u00fcnther, 1876<\/p><\/div>
\nReligion and technology, at first glance, don\u2019t go together. When I tell people that I research religion and robots, I\u2019m often met with confusion. Interestingly, though, the religious figure of the\u00a0golem<\/a>, a mound of earth or clay that has been brought to \u201clife\u201d, is widely recognised as a\u00a0precursor to the robot<\/a>. And some of the earliest examples of moving mechanical figures (automata)\u00a0were designed for religious purposes<\/a>, as a form of worship and reverence for God\u2019s creative work. So are religion and robots really that far removed?<\/p>\n