A fascinating stream-of-consciousness survey of the mystical origins of our obsession with information technology, "TechGnosis" calls to mind other ideas like those of Douglas Rushkoff, Greil Marcus, Joseph Campbell, and Marshall McLuhan. Erik Davis has written about culture, technology, and their often overlooked ntersection for The Village Voice, Wired, and other publications.
Davis reveals how much of technology has roots in spiritual impulses and explores how those who embrace each new technological advance often do so with expectations stemming from religious sensibilities. Davis weighs the scientific take on reality knowable only through technologically and the Gnostic idea of developing an intimate understanding of the mystery. Doubt is raised about the triumph of technology over the creative consciousness, and credibility given to the notion that spiritual yearnings and dreams are woven together with technology to construct a culture. Every new techno-adoption has had a spiritual history, from the printing press to the internet.
A new language to accommodate these ideas emerges... concepts like technomysticism and the technological unconscious. Anyone interested in a contextual history of science, religion, and technology and the possibility of achieving intuitive and direct contact with the source of all information will appreciate this book.
The more I learn to relax into my life, the more profound the sense of urgency becomes. --Erik Davis
see more work of Erik Davis @ Levity