The Church and Emerging Technologies; How the virtuous life teaches us the best and most human use of the tools available to us.

Growing up, I was often frustrated by how my parents limited the time I had to play video games or use the computer. However, now I appreciate the fact that they took the time to teach me moderation in this regard. When many people think of virtue, they think of a stale set of commands; however, the life of virtue is one that is dynamic and active. The service of God is dynamic and active. When you strive for virtue, you walk a tightrope; you are on the cutting edge of the moral life. Before you is the path that brings real satisfaction and a very real chance of falling off the edge. When walking a tightrope, the athlete must balance himself. Too much weight on one side or the other, and he falls to his death; the moral life is comparable to this.

Measuring then how technology can be used virtuously, we should examine the extra weight that can cause our proverbial athlete to fall off the rope. On one extreme, we allow the digital world to consume us. The great irony of consumerism is that, just as we consume the goods it provides, so too do those ‘goods’ consume us. Pope Francis speaks about this problem presented by the digital space here:

“When media and the digital world become omnipresent, their influence can stop people from learning how to live wisely, to think deeply, and to love generously. In this context, the great sages of the past run the risk of being unheard amid the noise and distractions of an informational overload.”

-Pope Francis (Laudato Si’ p47 1-3)

When we overindulge in the digital world, we suffer in this acute way. We miss what we need to hear amid the cacophony of noise. We lose our identity, or sense of self, and the will to do what we know is right. This overindulgence plunges us into a sensory overload, which seems to drain our very soul. All thought is lost, and we are consumed by our consumption. Information overload doesn’t just keep us trapped in this cycle but also makes us give up on the call to adventure that is life. We move like dead fish in a river. This is one extreme that we are more likely to fall into. It kills our ability to form meaningful relationships.

The other dangerous weight that can cause the proverbial tightrope walker to fall is extreme abandonment of technology. This radical detachment advertises itself as returning to the purity of tradition or claims that technological development is radically anti-human. This view, however, is really a thinly disguised attempt to avoid moral responsibility for how we’ve collectively succeeded or failed to use the technology we’ve developed for the greater glory of God. When one gives up on the responsible use of technology, we in essence give up on our fellow man. As it is beyond dispute that new technologies have been truly a beneficial gift to the growth and health of humanity. Despair about technological progress is an acute despair about whether or not humanity can be redeemed by the redeemer. To categorically reject technological development is to reject not only the numerous solutions to evils addressed by technological development(preservation of books and knowledge being just one example) but to all potential technological solutions to current and future challenges. Every technology that we as humans have developed, each in its own way, is designed for the betterment of something, even if they fail to achieve it. Whether we use or abuse such innovations is our moral responsibility. To surrender this responsibility is to surrender to those who wish to abuse such technologies before a single argument has been made. The war was lost without a fight in this scenario. The development of technology is a Godly thing for it allows us to illustrate the fact that we are made in the image and likeness of the creator. What could be a more holy thing than to create in imitation of our creator? We see this clearly in the raising of families. We should not blind ourselves from seeing this truth in the very act of invention as well?

Of the two extreme responses to technological development, one is more admirable than the other. The overindulgence in technological innovations and projects is much more admirable than the abandonment of technology for the same reason an athlete who fights in the arena and loses is more admirable than the critic on the sidelines, who will never enter the ring and strive for virtue. Striving for virtue is a beautiful and honorable thing, even if one fails, just like an athlete who trains doesn’t always win the fight. He is still infinitely more admirable than the criticisms of those who refuse to take up the challenge.

“A particular crucial battleground in today’s cultural struggle between the supremacy of technology and human moral responsibility”

-Pope Benedict XVI (Caritas in veritate p74)

What then does virtue and victory look like when it comes to using technology? Like all virtues, the answer must lie somewhere between the extremes of overindulgence and absolute neglect. A good way to get to this point is to ask yourself what is the ultimate purpose of technology? Any technology, not just your smartphone or computer. The answer is for the common good. When technology has the common good as its aim, it can be used in the way most beneficial to humanity. Now, let’s apply this to smartphones, computers, and artificial intelligence.

In order for us to get at the common good of society, we need a few goals to strive for:

Human development
Encouraging and spreading solidarity and true fraternity
Protecting human dignity and work
Safeguarding the environment
Promoting the truth regardless of communication method.
Smartphones, computers, and AI can be utilized  in these regards in many ways. AI is extremely useful in education(notebookLM & Google Gemini for language learning practice, etc.). Computers and smartphones are extremely useful for finding new ways of communicating and conducting research(Project Gutenberg, Fusion 360, etc.). These tools can greatly aid in one’s education, and when people get together for a common cause, countless opportunities for fraternity and solidarity grow. When solidarity flourishes, the human dignity of the poor has a shield it may otherwise lack. By conducting scientific research, we can work on proper stewardship of the environment. The neglect of which has done countless damage to the poor and marginalized across the world.

“True wisdom, as the fruit of self-examination, dialogue between and generous encounter between persons, is not acquired by a mere accumulation of data”

-Pope Francis(Laudato Si’ p47 4-5)

To acquire such wisdom, we must unplug for time and cultivate the relationships we have in our life that bring about a true sense of community. By listening to others and engaging with others, we come to know ourselves and can finally listen to the wisdom of the past. We are free now to examine our hearts and actually look at the direction our life is taking. Come, how you felt when you tried enjoying life as you were able to forget your ego for sheer love of whatever it was you had been doing, with a time when you had been doomscrolling for hours as short videos destroyed your ability to focus on anything.

“We have the freedom needed to limit and direct technology; we can put it at the service of another type of progress, one that is healthier, more human, more social, more integral.”

-Pope Francis (Laudato Si’ p112)