Humanity 3.0: Christian Anthropology and the Posthuman Future (CT3149B)

Undergraduate, 18.0 points

Content

This unit addresses specific issues related to current scientific and technological developments, explores their impact upon different spheres of life and engages with major ethical and theological responses. Students will address a variety of questions related to Artificial Intelligence, robotics, biotech, space exploration, human enhancement, Big Data, surveillance, and indefinite life extension. The image of God, the nature of the ‘soul,’ the mind-body distinction and other topics in theological anthropology will be addresses in dialogue with Posthumanism and Transhumanism. Students will explore these issues through interdisciplinary theological reflection primarily drawing on the framework of virtue ethics.

Unit code: CT3149B

Unit status: Approved (Minor revision)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 3

Unit discipline: Systematic Theology

Delivery Mode: Online

Proposing College: Eva Burrows College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Analyse the manner in which long-standing questions in theological anthropology are given new salience in the face of developing human enhancement technology.
2.

Critically explore a range of ideas about human nature both within and beyond the Christian tradition.
3.

Provide a theological response to the claims of Transhumanism and Posthumanism.
4.

Respond theologically to the ethical questions raised by the extension of human capacity and of the human life span.

Unit sequence

Prerequisite: 18 points in CT

Pedagogy

Engagement with the writings of both classical and contemporary theologians, set alongside scholarly literature on human enhancement technology, utilising online pedagogy.

Indicative Bibliography

  • Al-Amoudi, Ismael and Jamie Morgan, Realist Responses to Post-Human Society: Ex Machina. London and New York: Routledge, 2019.
  • Bostrom. Nick. Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
  • Crisp, Oliver and Fred Sanders, eds. The Christian Doctrine of Humanity. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2018.
  • Farris, Joshua R, and Charles Taliaferro, eds. The Ashgate Research Companion to Theological Anthropology. London and New York: Routledge, 2017.
  • Ferrando, Francesca. Philosophical Posthumanism. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2019.
  • Ferrando, Francesca. The Art of Being Posthuman: Who Are We in the 21st Century?, Cambridge: Polity Press, 2024.
  • Gay, Craig M. Modern Technology and the Human Future: A Christian Appraisal. Grand Rapids: IVP Academic, 2018.
  • Mercer, Calvin and Tracy Trothen, eds. Religion and Transhumanism: The Unknown Future of Human Enhancement. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2014.
  • Shatzer, Jacob. Transhumanism and the Image of God: Today's Technology and the Future of Christian Discipleship. Grand Rapids: IVP Academic, 2019.
  • Van Den Heuvel, Steven C. Being Human in a Technological Age: Rethinking Theological Anthropology. Leuven: Peeters, 2020.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Oral Presentation - Class presentation 1500 40.0
Essay - Essay 3000 60.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 10 Oct, 2024

Unit record last updated: 2024-10-10 11:16:54 +1100