Humans, Humanities, and Humanism in an Age of Technology

Abstract

Harry Potter’s world as described by J.K. Rowling in a series of books for children is not the world of us, ordinary humans.¹ Owls delivering letters overnight would be handy. Howling letters that criticize their recipients in public might be embarrassing. In the Harry Potter books, some humans cross species boundaries when they transform themselves into dogs, rats, cats, and other animals. There is a map that shows in real time where in Hogwarts everyone is. We poor muggles have to be satisfied with the world of Dudley Dursley, haven’t we?

I am grateful to Anthony Pinn and colleagues of the Institute for Humanist Studies for inviting me to a symposium on humanism and technology at Rice University, Houston, November 14–16, 2014. The research project “What Can the Humanities Contribute to our Practical Self-Understanding?” funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, NWO, has been a fertile context for the development of ideas presented here. Various elements in this contribution build upon earlier work of mine, especially on technology as culture (“Religion in an Age of Technology,” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 37 (2002): 597–604; “‘Playing God? Yes!’ Religion in the Light of Technology,” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 37 (2002): 643–654); the character of the humanities (Naked Ape or Techno Sapiens? The Relevance of Human humanities, inaugural address, Tilburg University, 2005; http://www.drees.nl/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/150008_oratie_prof_Drees_web.pdf), and on religious and non-religious views of life (Religion and Science in Context: A Guide to the Debates, 2010), Chap. 4).