Technology, Religion, Future · Religion
Wow its hard to know where to begin! This course opened me up to a whole discourse on technology that I did not really know existed. I think I gained a much more critical eye to view invention through and I am so grateful to that and think everyone needs to do these readings!
Different philosophies about the meaning of life, ways to look at technology beyond just a buzzword, and how society has been affected by technology and religion.
About the intersection of technology, religion, and love. This included discussion of Kurzweil's Singularity, the supernatural and extraterrestrials, psychedelics as a religious experience and even Burning Man.
Everything and nothing. Mostly how to budget a very heavy workload, whose perspectives to take seriously, and how to consider myself and my reality. It is so much input.
I learned so much in this course, it was a wonderful mix of being introduced to religious studies as well as reframing a lot of my preconceptions surrounding how we live with technology. The readings were all extremely interesting and the people in the class always lively and had a lot to say on the subject. Technology, or rather, the progress of technology is something that will effect everyone, for better or for worse. This course helped open my eyes to the reality of that and challenged me to think in new ways.
I learned so much in this class about different modalities of thought, universes of experience that I had never before confronted, and philosophies from a multitude of religions, cultures, and perspectives. The material we were assigned, although significant in quantity, was always engaging and exciting to parse through.
I would recommend for sure because I think the conversations in the course are so needed and interesting, but like I said I wish I could have learned more from the professor.
It blows your mind! You reconsider every aspect of existence and self and all that falls within those bounds. Understood if that is not for you, though. And the open- endedness of the discussion can suck when people feel like they have to talk without having anything to SAY.
This was the best course I've taken at Columbia. I talked about it nonstop for the whole semester I took it. No matter your interest/future career this course will allow you to think in new ways and be a more informed consumer of tech. For those who want to work within tech or in a community-based role, this class is even better! It questions what it means to be human while living such a digital life and how religion (any religion or spiritual practice) will morph in response to that digital life.
Zoom isn't for everyone, and I think that the experience would have been even better in person. However, under the guidance of Friere I think that Professor Kittay made the most of things being online and was able to successfully cultivate a safe, collaborative, and community-oriented seminar experience.