The Singularity is Near-Sighted: Joseph Campbell's Vision for the Internet Age

It's a great irony of Western Civilization that the scientific revolution, which emerged in the 15th century as a telescopic rifle aimed squarely at the Church, has lately been spotted distributing apocalyptic pamphlets in the public square.

Despite rhetoric steeped in science, these philosophical tracts are founded on metaphysical assumptions, resulting in a kind of techno-religion, replete with promises of immortality and transcendence.

The following beliefs form the basis for this technological utopianism:

1. A projection of human consciousness onto machines;

2. A teleological world view whereby civilization is moving toward unity and global interconnection;

3. An implicit belief in the goodness of technology and the benevolence of machines.

Myth Understanding

… some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge…

— Galadriel, from the Walsh, Boyens, and Jackson screenplay of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Last week, I discussed the rift that exists in Western society between our culture and our dominant religions. The rift mat­ters, because it means the those religions can’t perform the functions in our society that a religion historically performed. This has given rise to a misunderstanding of the purpose of reli­gion, and a misuse of religion within our national conversation.