
Dynamic Secularization
Information Technology and the Tension Between Religion and Science
William Sims Bainbridge(Author)
Springer (Publisher)
Published on 8. August 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
VIII, 268 pages
978-3-319-85929-3 (ISBN)
Description
This book discusses secularization, arguing that it may be more complex and significant than is generally recognized. Using a number of online exploration methods, the author provides insights into how religion may be changing, and how information technology might be energized in this process.
Working from the premise that the relationship between science and religion is complex, the author demonstrates that while science has contradicted some specific religious beliefs, science itself may have been facilitated by beliefs formed many centuries ago. Science assists engineers in the development of powerful new technologies, and asserts that the universe is based on a set of fundamental principles that can be understood by humans through the assistance of mathematics.
The challenging ideas discussed will benefit readers through sharing a variety of Internet-based research methods and cultural discoveries. The book provides a balance betweenquantitative methods, illustrated by 24 tables of statistics, and qualitative methods, illustrated by 30 screenshots of computer-generated virtual worlds. Analysis interweaves with description, creating a sense of involvement in the experience of exploring online realities at the same time as radical insights are shared.
Working from the premise that the relationship between science and religion is complex, the author demonstrates that while science has contradicted some specific religious beliefs, science itself may have been facilitated by beliefs formed many centuries ago. Science assists engineers in the development of powerful new technologies, and asserts that the universe is based on a set of fundamental principles that can be understood by humans through the assistance of mathematics.
The challenging ideas discussed will benefit readers through sharing a variety of Internet-based research methods and cultural discoveries. The book provides a balance betweenquantitative methods, illustrated by 24 tables of statistics, and qualitative methods, illustrated by 30 screenshots of computer-generated virtual worlds. Analysis interweaves with description, creating a sense of involvement in the experience of exploring online realities at the same time as radical insights are shared.
Reviews / Votes
"This book is a highly detailed account of alternative schools of religion and science fueled by the power of the Internet. . The author has researched many of these counterculture views of science and religion, but the text will be of interest to those seriously studying such entities." (Computing Reviews, October, 2017)More details
Edition
Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2017
Language
English
Place of publication
Cham
Switzerland
Publishing group
Springer International Publishing
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
25 farbige Abbildungen, 2 s/w Abbildungen
VIII, 268 p. 27 illus., 25 illus. in color.
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
481 gr
ISBN-13
978-3-319-85929-3 (9783319859293)
DOI
10.1007/978-3-319-56502-6
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

William Sims Bainbridge
Dynamic Secularization
Information Technology and the Tension Between Religion and Science
Book
05/2017
Springer
€106.99
Shipment within 10-15 days
Person
William Sims Bainbridge is an experienced researcher on the history and sociology of space development and a leader in developing new computational methods of questionnaire administration and analysis, as well as a writer who knows how to communicate clearly to readers interested in spaceflight or science and technology more broadly. The author holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Harvard University.
Content
Fragmentation: Online Evidence about Religious Innovation.- Humanization: The Crash or Reboot of Social Psychology.- Paganization: The Virtual Revival of a Cult Online.- Residualism: Online Survival of Rejected Religions.- Jediism: The Most Popular Online Virtual Religion.- Pessimism: Critiques of Religion and Technology in the
Fallout
Games.- Optimism: Religious Diversity in the
WildStar
Massively Multiplayer Online Game.- Transhumanism: An Online Network of Technoprogressive Quasi-Religions.- Transcendence: Virtual Artificial Intelligence.