RELIGION286S

Is cybertechnology a religion? If so, what does that mean? Rather than an analysis of how Christians, Buddhists, Jews, or Muslims use cyberspace to practice their religions, this course will take up the thesis that cyberspace has challenged the very idea of what it means to be human and, in so doing, has itself become a religion. We will look at the 'canonization' of eccentric technologists like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs, examine the startling philosophical ideas about personhood embedded in artificial intelligence, study communities of cyberspace users casual and obsessive, and look at the ways in which cyberspace is reshaping the political landscapes of the contemporary United States.

No Special Consent Required

(EI) Ethical Inquiry, (R) Research, (STS) Sci, Tech, and Society, (CZ) Civilizations