The Boldness of Belief and Timidity of Technology

Matt Crawford, Mark Shiffman, and Melanie Barrett on October 11, 2024 at the Social Sciences Tea Room at the University of Chicago. In his "Introduction to Christianity," Joseph Ratzinger saw that at the root of the “technological mindset” was an anxiety about how humans come to know the world. Ratzinger contrasted the technological orientation to the world with an orientation of belief. Belief was not incomplete or provisional knowing, but a trustful standing upon and loyalty to that which is given by Creation. In this symposium, Matt Crawford and Mark Shiffman come together to discuss the problem of virtue in light of Ratzinger’s distinction. Crawford begins by exploring how the virtue of gratitude often eludes us under a technological mindset. A better approach is to boldly entrust oneself to that which one cannot make or fully grasp. Mark Shiffman responds by using this same distinction between technocracy and givenness to explain the difference between optimism and hope. Melanie Barrett will also offer comments. --- This event was cosponsored and supported by the University of Chicago John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought. It was also cosponsored by The Point Magazine. This event was made possible through the support of ‘In Lumine: Supporting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on Campuses Nationwide’ (Grant #62372) from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.