Are religion and science really at war with one another? Not according to David F. Noble, who argues that the
flourishing of both religion and technology today is nothing new but rather the continuation of a 1,000-year-old
Western tradition.
The Religion of Technology demonstrates that modern man's enchantment with things technological was inspired by
and grounded in religious expectations and the quest for transcendence and salvation. The two early impulses behind
the urge to advance in science, he claims, are the conviction that apocalypse is imminent, and the belief that
increasing human knowledge helps recover what was lost in Eden. Noble traces the history of these ideas by examining
the imaginings of monks, explorers, magi, scientists, Freemasons, and engineers, from Sir Isaac Newton to Joseph
Priestley to Wernher von Braun.
Noble suggests that the relationship between religion and technology has perhaps outlived its usefulness. Whereas
it once aimed to promote human well-being, it has ultimately become a threat to our survival. Thus, with The Religion
of Technology, Noble aims to redirect our efforts toward more worldly and humane ends.