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| Bartlett, James I | How can our being “authentic” in an Augustine sense solve
the problem of false information on the internet, when we are the surfers
and not the posters?
How is modern technology our “Tower of Babel”; is it, in our view, bringing us closer to God, or is it taking our focus off of God and thereby further separating us from Him? |
| Beauregard, Suzanne M | What was your inspiration for writing this book? In chapter five you speak about "symbol brokers." Can you elaborate a little about the potential harm of these symbol brokers? |
| Beissel, Brian E | 1.) Do you think that the prospect of anonymity leads to
this "Informationism", that is, the fact that we have no real
faces on the internet (other than a webcam) can lead to us shedding our
moral fibers? Can our morality be connected by our physical presence,
possibly a form of escapism where we find ourselves no longer confined to
our "real" selves? Isn't this kind of thing psychologically
damaging?
2.)Myself, being 23, have grown up in a time where we all need something more, which you talk about in the second chapter of the book. I have a neighbor across the street from me who bought a brand new Ford Mustang GT after I bought my little Hyundai Elantra. Do you think this competition will cause us to devour ourselves, such as the wars that go on to control Internet Relay Channels? Is this no different than corporations doing hostile takeovers? |
| Catlett, Delancy L | On page 29 you say: “Like ethical chameleons, we adapt our
moral practices to the latest technologies rather than summoning our
technologies to follow a long term moral vision.” Can you give me an example
of a long term moral vision and what technologies you might summon to follow
it?
On page 87 you ask the question: “What does this say about the moral character of cyberculture?” How does the moral character of the cyberculture differ from the rest of society? |
| Costlow, Beth J | 1. I appreciate the way in which your book emphasizes human
wisdom and discernment with regard to the use of technology. Given the fact
that even elementary schools often have computers with internet access in
classrooms, how do you suggest we begin to teach these things?
2. I use technology, including the internet to maintain communication with existing friends. I have a friend who, when asked to name her closest friends begins with a list of "internet buddies," most of whom she has never met in person. You emphasize human intimacy in relationships throughout your book; you seem to feel that person-to-person contact is required. Do you believe it is possible to use technology to create intimate relationships? Or does the anonymous environment of the internet render even those relationships which are perceived as "close" as untrustworthy? |
| Craley, Joshua D | 1) How large of an impact do you see corporate culture
having on cyberculture as it developed?
2) Has the boyish enthusiasm of silicon valley workers diminished in the new economy where tech. stocks are no longer the hot item? |
| Davis, Jonathan | 1. Where do you see the Internet & Christianity in the next
five years with relationship to how it will be used?
2. Is there any information available that evaluates Christian content on the internet? |
| Deeben, Wendy S | Since the world has a large push from technology, do you
think that it is possible to use that technology to tell others to use
moderation and to try to evaluate things for what they are worth?
How do you think using technology in a religious atmosphere would work when one would try to explain some of the harms that technology can cause? Do you think the cautions would be well received or not? |
| Fraser, John T | 1. Just how far along has the human race been involved in
"bad" habits of the high tech heart? I mean, should we really
embrace movements such as the Amish or Mennonite traditions and cast off
all technology or did we go wrong somewhere between the phone and the
television (or pick any two random technological inventions)? Do you
believe all technology has the potential to create these habits for the
high tech heart or only ones that developed recently?
2. What do you feel about groups and societies (especially the "grassroots" variety) that begin on the internet as a social movement or counter-movement? Many of these groups have quite admirable goals and deserve to be heard. Yet because of the relative distance between the founders of the movement - many of them develop only because the internet has allowed them to know of each others presence. Is this an acceptable habit? Is this even a community? Could they be a culture or subculture? Can we silence or even quiet their voice simply because they use higher tech media? |
| McCarthy, Susan J | 1. It seems throughout history that every new generation is
blamed for some form of moral decay. In the 1950s it was because of Rock
& Roll, in the '60's and '70's it was civil rights, drugs and the
sexual revolution, in the '80's and early '90's it was greed and
prosperity. Now, technology seems to be blamed for the moral decay of our
society. How long do you think our adjustment time will be before we are
used to the internet, for example, in the same way we're used to things
like Rock & Roll and two-car families?
2. What are some ways we can use technology, such as the internet, to help us focus on and improve the quality of our character? |
| Montgomery, Darnell L | 1) What was your inspiration to write the book? 2) Have you found that since writing the book, some of the information is outdated? |
| Palmer, Brian M | 1) Can you suggest some websites that you feel are good
examples of thoughtful deliberation made manifest in cyberspace?
2) How do you feel about Internet social forums being used by people who struggle to engage others in more conventional ways? (shy, abused, suicidal, etc.) |
| Pittsnogle, L. Keith | Is over indulgence in technology, over dependence on
artificial information a sin? How can we get our children to lay off and slow don on the information super highway? |
| Robinson, C. Scott | Are we at the end of the era where books (such as yours),
magazines and newspapers will be printed and distributed?
Twice you cite and in some ways romanticize anti-technology cultures (Amish, Old Order Mennonites.) These people have seemingly arbitrarily selected a level of technology they will accept, shunning others. As a former health care provider who had many Old Order Mennonite patients, I saw that they were more than willing to take advantage of modern medical technologies, while as a group avoiding the opportunity to contribute to their development. Is not this in some ways hypocritical, and would it not be more responsible to contribute to technological advancements while helping to focus society on responsible uses of them? |
| Schultz, Paul A | 1) Can you give some specific suggestions as to how
religious morality might improve the dissemination of information?
2) How do you think information technology can be used to promote morality, contemplation and involvement? |
| Wilmer, Roger W | |
| Wirtley, Jerry M | 1. You said several times that the internet is not and does
not foster "community" as defined in your book and most of us
would agree, but if the internet is seen as a new culture, then we would
need a new definition of Community. Do you see how we can define community
on the internet to allow our understanding of community to be a basis of
what could happen in this new culture of the internet?
2. In the David Wilcox's song "Start with the ending" there is the line "I know you will keep on changing, moving in this dance with me. I love the way we embrace the future and keep the past a memory. So there is no defending that the old ways could remain." You give clear reasons we need to move slowly into our embracing the techno revolution, but it is coming and we need to be ready to not push it aside because the old ways should not always remain. The Gen X and later generations grew up with always have the newest fastest what ever it is. How can we move forward and use this emerging technology to help us reach those that this is all they know? |
| Wise, James H | 1. In the six point calling suggested in the book, number 4
is to "de-technologize our religious traditions." Where do you
see technology and our traditions in conflict such that the technology
must be removed?
2. You make a case for a decay in our moral fabric and focus on the Internet as a key contributor. Given that only 8% of the world's population has Internet access, and given the flood of immorality our young are exposed to daily in drugs, print, music, television and movies, do you really believe that the Internet is as bad as you portray in your book? |
| Wutka, Adam D | 1. Do you think that the internet or internet culture has
settled or will settle, or is it a dynamic entity that will continue to
change without any degree of continuity?
2. Is it possible that it is still too early to tell whether human nature has adapted to this new tool and that some of the highly optimistic predictions about the internet may hold some degree of truth? |