Technologies of Desire: Theology, Ethics, and the Enhancement of Human Traits

There are several different levels on which technology poses theological and ethical problems. At the first level, technology consists of devices and techniques. At the second level, technology involves the transformations that it effects in various areas of our lives. At the third level, technology expresses an entire kind of action or a basic attitude human beings take to the world and to themselves. Theologians typically address technology at the third level, while moral philosophers and policy experts remain at the first level. This division of labor often leaves theology on the margins of debates over particular technologies, while crucial issues at the second level remain unaddressed. This essay examines the growth of biomedical enhancement technologies in order to argue for a theological engagement of technology at the second level.