Technological utopias: Promises of the unlimited

Technological developments are driven by promises of a progress towards a better world thanks to new artefacts and systems. The extreme of those promises is the ultimate removal of all boundaries that keep humans from an ideal life in which happiness is complete. This ideal is often expressed by the term 'unlimited'. It is problematic, however, that the notion of progress can mean different things to different people. Also, the ideal of removing the last barrier raises moral questions. A Christian worldview is presented that offers a balance between the pursuit of technological progress with the acceptance of a non-ideal world included. Such a perspective fits well with the way engineers are educated and work, namely by constantly using trade-offs.