Wisdom Wednesday
In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.
Judges 21:25
A few weeks ago the ABC asked people a question, “Should we bring back the Tasmanian Tiger?” What do you reckon?
It’s an amazing question for one because it means we are no longer asking - can we bring back the Tasmanian Tiger. But as responders to the ABC article show, this new technology raises some ethical questions. To put it simply, is all technological progress good. If we can do it, should we?
Technology has been a force for good and evil since the fall of sin. It was God & Noah’s use of technology that saved their family from the flood. Technology also enabled early humans to raise up the tower of Babel to make a name for themselves. Antibiotics are good. Pornography websites are bad. Smartphones - capacity for both.
But how do you know? How do we decide when technological progress is good or when it’s bad? Well, ethics committees of course! Most universities have them and many companies now employ or engage an ethics consultant. But this doesn’t actually solve the problem. For then the question becomes, whose ethics?
Take the morning after pill. For some, a remarkable technology that saves women from grief and trauma through unwanted pregnancy. For others, it is the same as feeding someone lethal arsenic. Who gets to decide whether that technological progress should be pursued?
The answer of course is that we need a supreme standard for ethics that stands above personal preferences or feelings. We need someone who is wise enough to see the greater ramifications of our technological choices. We need God. We need God’s wisdom and guidance on what is good. Left to humans, we will make technological ‘progress’ but not necessarily moral progress.
So should we bring back the Tasmanian Tiger?
For Today:
Pray: Praise the Father that He is good and the author of goodness. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who shows us the goodness of God. Ask God for His Holy Spirit for the inventors of the world - that they would seek God’s ethical wisdom.
Judges 21:25
A few weeks ago the ABC asked people a question, “Should we bring back the Tasmanian Tiger?” What do you reckon?
It’s an amazing question for one because it means we are no longer asking - can we bring back the Tasmanian Tiger. But as responders to the ABC article show, this new technology raises some ethical questions. To put it simply, is all technological progress good. If we can do it, should we?
Technology has been a force for good and evil since the fall of sin. It was God & Noah’s use of technology that saved their family from the flood. Technology also enabled early humans to raise up the tower of Babel to make a name for themselves. Antibiotics are good. Pornography websites are bad. Smartphones - capacity for both.
But how do you know? How do we decide when technological progress is good or when it’s bad? Well, ethics committees of course! Most universities have them and many companies now employ or engage an ethics consultant. But this doesn’t actually solve the problem. For then the question becomes, whose ethics?
Take the morning after pill. For some, a remarkable technology that saves women from grief and trauma through unwanted pregnancy. For others, it is the same as feeding someone lethal arsenic. Who gets to decide whether that technological progress should be pursued?
The answer of course is that we need a supreme standard for ethics that stands above personal preferences or feelings. We need someone who is wise enough to see the greater ramifications of our technological choices. We need God. We need God’s wisdom and guidance on what is good. Left to humans, we will make technological ‘progress’ but not necessarily moral progress.
So should we bring back the Tasmanian Tiger?
For Today:
- What technology are you thankful for?
- What technology do you wish had never existed?
- Do you believe God’s ethical standards are the right ones?
Pray: Praise the Father that He is good and the author of goodness. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who shows us the goodness of God. Ask God for His Holy Spirit for the inventors of the world - that they would seek God’s ethical wisdom.
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