PODCAST · religion
Technology and the Human Purpose
by Brian Wixted and Nick Toews
In a discussion ranging over the full history of human making (stone tools to modern cities), we centre our perspective of human purpose within a Christian worldview. Our distinctive focus centres on how the Bible’s lens on a diverse range of technologies starts within its ancient culture. However, its theological position often transforms those ideas with its own unique moral imagination. Bringing the Bible’s ideas to bear on times and places beyond the text, we must grapple with the original cultures and the theological transformation.
Episodes
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2026 Minisode 1: Technology and the human purpose – Two Podcasts on AI - Two Different Perspectives
Premier Unbelievable The Hidden Cost of AI Nobody Is Talking About! Nigel Crook vs Brian Brock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yKRhJ7XsJc Gospel Conversations Podcast AI and the Image of God - Tony Golsby-Smith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CxzPDcj1qg The music this week is called Happy Sandbox.
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S6E11 Techumanpurpose •• Technology Space-Time - season Final of the everywhere everything all at once revolution
This episode I do a bit of a recap of the season and also discuss the 4 dimensions of Technology Space-Time Decades of delevlopment and regulatory domestication Technology and culture Space (geography (if it is stuff it happens somewhere) Socio-economic systems and discuss a recent interview...
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S6E10 Techumanpurpose •• EEAAO – All At Once (Almost) – Humans and the AI event horizon Part 2
In this episode I continue to discuss the "AI moment" - what I call the Event Horizon. It was recorded before the announcement of the signing of the a ceasefire between the USA and Iran. Covered in this episode: Gig work, how to think about the person, the tech bro phenomena and their seemingly...
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S6E9 Techumanpurpose •• AEEAAO – All At Once – Humans and the AI event Horizon part 1
Every now and then a new technology comes along that fills our field of view from horizon to horizon. AI is now in that moment where other technologies like atomic power has been before. What are we to make of this moment? That is the point of this little series. Show notes will be included with...
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S6E8 Techumanpurpose •• EEAAO All at once (nearly) - A bestiary of 21st century world
In the Everywhere, Everything, All At Once Revolution (Almost), how do we get into our moment? We need a new bestiary (Latin: bestiarium vocabulum) is a compendium of beasts. Some academic articles. Business History Review 98 (Spring 2024): 203–236. doi:10.1017/S0007680523000946. The Will to…
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S6E7 Techumanpurpose •• EEAAO Everything (nearly) - Services change is mostly manufactured
This is the second season of my roll of the dice series. In this season I am focussing of the changes throughout the economy, and less on the values behind and being pushed by those changes. I think it is really important to take stock and observe so we are clear about what is happening. This...
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S6E6 Techumanpurpose •• AEEAAO Everything (nearly) - Industries - Agriculture, Mining & Manufacturing
This is the second season of my roll of the dice series. This episode really is about everything. Well almost. The technological developments occurring across agriculture, mining and manufacturing are breath taking. This is just a little snapshot of the last few years of developments. Normally, I...
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S6E5 Techumanpurpose For those coming in late or those a bit baffled by what I am doing
If you are wondering how I think about building the arc of story telling through this podcast and multiples seasons, this little podcast may help.
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S6E4 Techumanpurpose •• AEEAAO – Everything (Well Almost) AI The Backoffice of the Economy
Well we finally get there. I get around to talking about AI. Because of its widespread use and various applications I thought it best to do a bit of a big survey of many the ways we currently use AI. Here are some story notes. The Economist - The World Ahead 2026 How are people using AI…
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S6E3 Techumanpurpose •• (A)EEAAO The (Almost) Everything Revolution - the periodic and bio table of our economy.mp3
The episode is all about how we use stuff and how much we use. From growing almonds to cooling data centres to our global probably unsustainable use of sand. Just a few of the resources used to make this podcast. Australian social media ban for under 16s...
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S6E2 Techumanpurpose •• The (Almost) Everywhere Revolution
The season is all about the (almost) everywhere everything all at once revolution we are living through at the present moment. Today, its about the almost everywhere nature of change. We live in a fast changing world it seems. While the world tech hubs are still the mountain peaks of the global...
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S6E1 Techumanpurpose •• Introduction - Almost everywhere everything all at once revolution
Notes The intro and outro music is 'fantasy orchestra' available at https://freesound.org/ Futureviille https://www.amazon.ca/Futureville-Discover-Purpose-Reimagining-Tomorrow/dp/1595554610/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title Jesse Nickel. A Revolutionary Jesus: Violence and Peacemaking in the Kingdom of...
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S5E9 Techumanpurpose • Human Dimension- Combo Lock 4 – The Bads, Crime, Security, Violence , War and Order
Notes Questions or comments to [email protected] Anthropology and economics: Undeceptions by John Dickson https://undeceptions.com/podcast/the-anthropologists/ Amnesty International – gun violence https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/arms-control/gun-violence Pew Research...
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S5E8 Techumanpurpose • Human Dimension – Global Development
Notes. If you want to get in touch [email protected] For a brilliant book to read about the human scale of helping the poor then read this. Rhythms of Poverty: Reconsidering our affluent approach to the poor Paperback – Aug. 16 2013 by Murray Nickel (Author)...
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S5E7 - Techumanpurpose • human dimensions - Jobs Clothing Food Housing
Some reference material. Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West Andrew Wilson. https://www.amazon.ca/Remaking-World-1776-Created-Post-Christian/ https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics/research-datasets A millennium of macroeconomic data – stretching back to 1086. Peter...
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S5E6 techumanpurpose • December and Christmas Break
Just a note about what happened to the promised episode on jobs, clothing, food and shelter. + of course Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2025.
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S5E5 techumanpurpose • human dimensions 9 Planetary Boundaries for Life
References to the impacts of humans, 9 Boundaries, climate change, London smog and PFAS chemicals. The impact of ancient people on the environment https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-08-30/ancient-civilisations-environmental-impact/11450072 Science 365, 897–902 (2019) 30 August 2019...
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S5E4 techumanpurpose • SIDE 1 Wise Order in the human dimension with a side of wicked problems
Wicked Problems. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_problem https://web.archive.org/web/20070930021510/http://www.uctc.net/mwebber/Rittel+Webber+Dilemmas+General_Theory_of_Planning.pdf The intro and outro music is 'fantasy orchestra' available at https://freesound.org/
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S5E3 Techumanpurpose - Can I do better?
Erasistratus |John Dickson……. https://www.abc.net.au/religion/genesis-created-science-a-reply-to-tamas-pataki/10101306 John Philoponus | Wikipedia | + John Dickson https://www.abc.net.au/religion/genesis-created-science-a-reply-to-tamas-pataki/10101306 Economist August 24th 2024 p-10 in an…
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S5E2 - Techumanpurpose- contemporary Christianity and technology
Show Notes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Ellul Understanding Jacques Ellul (2012) https://www.amazon.ca/Understanding-Jacques-Ellul-Jeffrey-Greenman/dp/161097431X Ellul 1984 Technique and the Opening Chapters of Genesis Jacques Ellul in n Theology and Technology: Essays in Christian...
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Back soon, sorry!
From time to time it is necessary to upgrade your computing power to do podcasts. That time is apparently now. I had recorded the next episode but the quality was terrible. So back soon.
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S5E1 Technology and the Human Purpose Introduction to Season 5 - Roll of the Dice
S5E1 Technology and the Human Purpose Introduction to Season 5 Roll of the Dice: Technology in the Modern World. In this episode I introduce plans for season 5, with some small teaser ideas. For more information on Monkey traps https://abergseyeview.com/blog/2019/3/30/the-monkey-trap-of-the-mind...
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S4E8 The Crowdstrike system meltdown viewed through the season's metaphors
We probably all heard about the recent Crowdstrike software problem of 19 July 2024 North American time. This episode uses that one event to look at our technological world through multiple lenses to reinforce the ideas of season 4. This season is all about expanding our repertoire of technology...
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S4E7 - How tech works an A-Z guide - A recap of this season
This season is all about expanding our repertoire of technology stories and metaphors. To that end I am building an A to Z guide of how technology works using metaphors. In this sho I do a quick recap of A-Z. Algorithms, Butterfly effects and black swans, Concrete creeks, Dark Matter, Evolution…
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S4E6 - How tech works an A-Z guide - Metaphors U - Z
This season is all about expanding our repertoire of technology stories and metaphors. To that end I am building an A to Z guide of how technology works using metaphors as the focussing device. In this show I cover U-Z. U – Unseeing (what you think you see) V – Vision and values W – Waves...
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S4E5 - How tech works an A-Z guide - Metaphors P-T
This season is all about expanding our repertoire of technology stories and metaphors. To that end I am building an A to Z guide of how technology works using metaphors as the focussing device. In this show I cover P-T. P – Pillars of the technological world Q - Queens (Red Queens) R - Rust S –...
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S4E4 - How tech works an A-Z guide - Metaphors K - O
I am starting the season with an A to Z guide of how technology works using metaphors and the focussing device. In this show I cover K-O. K - Kryptonite L – LEGO – Life is a road M – Metaphor (bad) N – Neutral (nah) Nothing is Neutral O – One ring to rule them all The intro and outro music is...
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S4E3 - How tech works an A-Z guide - Metaphors F-J
I am starting the season with an A to Z guide of how technology works using metaphors and the focussing device. In this show I cover F-J. F is Flux capacitor G is for gravity H is for Holy Grail I is for invention J is for Jam A couple of recent shows worth listening to. BBC History Extra podcast…
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S4E2 - Metaphors of how tech works-A to E of an A-Z guide
In this episode we really get going with season 4. I am starting the season with an A to Z guide of technology through metaphors. In this show I cover A-E. The intro and outro music is 'fantasy orchestra' available at https://freesound.org/ . Watch out for more information and connected content...
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S4E1 - Introduction
In this episode I introduce plans for season 4, with some small teaser ideas. The intro and outro music is 'fantasy orchestra' available at https://freesound.org/ Watch out for more information and connected content with each episode on the blog https://theology-and-technology.blogspot.com/
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S3E2: Money - there is no system except love
The 2nd of 2 sermons I did in 2023 on money. As money is at its core a technology I thought it fitted well in this podcast. You can watch the sermon here if you would prefer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JumiOzeduk . The intro and outro music is 'fantasy orchestra' available at...
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S3E1: Money as technology ad more - the problem
I thought I would share 2 sermons I did earlier this year on money. As money is at its core a technology I thought it fitted well in this podcast. You can watch the sermon here if you would prefer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTvNxRSZHtQ&t=35s The intro and outro music is 'fantasy orchestra'...
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Thinking in more than one metaphor at a time
Its been a while but we are back to close out series 2. In this episode we discuss ChatGPT and applications of AI dep in industrial applications such as mining. We also discuss in a round about way a process of thinking about technology that is based in bouncing between multiple Biblical…
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S2E5 Technology is embodied values
This episode discusses why technology is not neutral along with other issues such as whether technology determines history or whether there is a cultural conversation between humans and technology. This episode was recorded sometime ago with life getting a little in the way of editing and editing...
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S2E4 100 years 50 years 30 years ago and nowness
We are used to reading history that explores a particular epoch or technology or reveals the connections that get us to now. Those histories make sense. In this episode I want to explore a different approach one I refer to as nowness. Nowness is about the exploring the puzzle of problem solving…
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S2E3 An interview with Iwan Russell-Jones - A Theologian and BBC show maker
Iwan brings a unique experience of both teaching theological topics including communication and also doing media with the BBC over many years. Its an fascinating interview giving a glimpse into what integrates Iwan's thinking. While we didn't delve into the topic or allow it to overwhelm us this...
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S2E2 Dont look up movie discussion with total spoilers
As we promised in the introduction to the season we want to mix it up a little this season. To kick that off we launch into a discussion of the movie "Don't Look Up" which was on limited release in early December 2021 and Christmas on Netflix release. It was quite the discussion piece on many…
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S2E1 Introducing season 2
There is a bunch of stuff to discuss as we kick off season 2. There has been a lot of technology developments: SpaceX, xenotransplantation and more. We have big plans for this season. We want to interview people and we want to focus on the issue of how we understand technology from a values...
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S2E0 Bonus: Canals, Trains, Cars and Wheelchairs
Brian discusses how with many technologies used for transportation in particular we have taken enormous steps to modify the environment and systematise so that everything works the same. We haven't made life so easy for wheerchair users. Further, the necessities of wheelchair design make it...
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S1E10: Wrapping up season 1 - the big ideas
Nick still likes the title 'technology' and 'human purpose'. Nick still pondering the ancient meaning of cities and the Bible's take on cities. Brian's takeaway is how nuanced the Bible is regarding the economic and social systems humans build around technology - even in ancient times. The intro...
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Bonus: Techumanpurpose - What is Salvation and how could it matter for technology
Nick and Brian discuss what is order and peace and what all that means for technology. The intro and outro music is clipped from 'happy-sandbox' available at https://freesound.org/ Watch out for more information and content at https://theology-and-technology.blogspot.com/
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S1E9: Techumanpurpose - Considering Economics
The discussion starts with cryptocurrencies and economies as being within technological epochs - not economics as being within eternal economic rules. Brian and Nick then go onto to discuss how Christians have thought about economics and why it matters. The intro and outro music is clipped from...
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S1E8 _in the footnotes_defining technology pt 3
Brian re-examines technology from the point of view of biological metaphors. Is a tree just a tree or is it more? Is a piece of technology just an artifact or is it more? Does anything really reside as a thing or do humans engage with things as more than in this physical universe? Brian makes the...
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S1E7 Biblical Anthropology
Nick asks the question when do you update your computer? Brian talks about the coming again (?) of hydrogen power before the discussion moves onto theology. In the theology discussion we particularly focus on the ancient setting for the phrase – "image of God" as the best starting point for...
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S1E5 Techumanpurpose -The Biblical Seas
We pick up our conversation where we finished the previous major episode, inside Solomon's Temple looking at the furniture and in particular the Bronze Sea. What is it doing in the Temple and what did 'seas' mean to ancient peoples – and it wasn't just about water. Its about gods, and chaos vs…
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S1E6 Techumanpurpose _in the footnotes_ defining tech pt2
Brian takes a look a very brief look at Brian Arthur's 2009 book "The Nature of Technology" and the three fold definition of technology. The intro and outro music is clips from 'happy-sandbox' available at https://freesound.org/ Watch out for more information and connected content with each…
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S1E4 Techumanpurpose _in the footnotes_ defining technology pt 1
Brian starts a deep dive in what exactly is technology and just how hard it is to define. The intro and outro music is clips from 'happy-sandbox' available at freesounds.org Watch out for more information and connected content with each episode on the blog...
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S1S3 - Techumanpurpose _Two pivotal stories_ Joseph & Solomon's Temple
Nick and Brian discuss two important stories – Joseph and pre-Exodus Egypt and Solomon's Temple. The story of Joseph in particular has some surprises for those interested in technology. These stories should be cornerstones of a view of the Bible and technology. The intro and outro music is…
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S1E2 Early in Genesis
In epsiode 1 Brian and Nick introduced themselves. In this episode, they discuss many layers of what is happening in the early chapters of Genesis - everything up to and including the Tower of Babel story. The intro and outro music is 'fantasy-orchestra' available on https://freesound.org/
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
In a discussion ranging over the full history of human making (stone tools to modern cities), we centre our perspective of human purpose within a Christian worldview. Our distinctive focus centres on how the Bible’s lens on a diverse range of technologies starts within its ancient culture. However, its theological position often transforms those ideas with its own unique moral imagination. Bringing the Bible’s ideas to bear on times and places beyond the text, we must grapple with the original cultures and the theological transformation.
HOSTED BY
Brian Wixted and Nick Toews
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Technology and the Human Purpose currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
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In a discussion ranging over the full history of human making (stone tools to modern cities), we centre our perspective of human purpose within a Christian worldview. Our distinctive focus centres on how the Bible’s lens on a diverse range of technologies starts within its ancient culture. However,...
How often does Technology and the Human Purpose release new episodes?
Technology and the Human Purpose has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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You can listen to Technology and the Human Purpose on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Technology and the Human Purpose?
Technology and the Human Purpose is created and hosted by Brian Wixted and Nick Toews.
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