Self-driving cars have no connection to religion

[1137]

I was talking about the future with one of my professors outside of class today, and he made a claim that has been paraphrased in the title. He said that we will have self driving cars in years, not decades, because religion has nothing to do with it. Meanwhile; smart AIs, personalized medications, cloning, increased stem cell research, etc are decades away (or will have to overcome serious assaults) because religion comes into play. So, my question is, do you agree that religion is holding us back, keeping us tied to the past and slowing our move to the future?

 

[Alex_G]

in short, yes.

 

[BSM1]

in short, yes.

[/QUOT

What he said:yes:.

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

I almost laughed when I read the title. But then, mention was made of other scientific advances that have been stifled at the hands of religion, including things that have nothing to do with religion in the first place. So, to answer the OP, I would have to say yes, mostly, religion has caused us to not progress as far forward as we probably would be able to. I say mostly, because it's not religion in general that has kept us back, but certain worldviews of certain religions.

 

[Riverwolf]

Not religion in itself, but specific members of specific religions who have large enough numbers to have an effect.

Then again, I stopped believing in progress a while ago.

 

[ImmortalFlame]

I was talking about the future with one of my professors outside of class today, and he made a claim that has been paraphrased in the title. He said that we will have self driving cars in years, not decades, because religion has nothing to do with it. Meanwhile; smart AIs, personalized medications, cloning, increased stem cell research, etc are decades away (or will have to overcome serious assaults) because religion comes into play. So, my question is, do you agree that religion is holding us back, keeping us tied to the past and slowing our move to the future?

Any philosophy, methodology or social ideology that values conservation of belief or faith over rational inquiry and the objective understanding of reality can be blamed for the holding back of science. And, yes, religion is probably the biggest one of them going.

 

[Quintessence]

Why is technological "progress" so often considered an unquestioned good?

 

[Madhuri]

Then again, I stopped believing in progress a while ago.

Me too.

 

[Me Myself]

There are always forces in society that keep us tied to the yesterday. Wasn´t it religion it would be something else.

But sure, it is currently manifestating through religion.

 

[ImmortalFlame]

Why is technological "progress" so often considered an unquestioned good?

It isn't always, but without progress human existence has basically no point. Progress isn't about good or bad, it's about making humanity have some sort of lasting function - a way of stamping our mark on the Universe and reaching beyond the limits of human potential in our comprehension of the Universe. The desire to know more and be more is perhaps the most noble aspect of the human condition.

 

[Quintessence]

It isn't always, but without progress human existence has basically no point. Progress isn't about good or bad, it's about making humanity have some sort of lasting function - a way of stamping our mark on the Universe and reaching beyond the limits of human potential in our comprehension of the Universe. The desire to know more and be more is perhaps the most noble aspect of the human condition.

I disagree that human existence is meaningless without "progress." I suppose I've gotten very cynical about this ideal of progress because it has meant destruction and desecration of what I consider sacred. Pushing human potential has been at the expense of others, and I am ashamed that my species is the architect of a sixth mass extinction. I would prefer we exhibit restraint. But we don't. I would like it if this ideal of progress we have was not at the expense of everything non-human. I would also like it if "advanced" cultures respected more "primitive" ways of life and left them alone instead of wiping them out. I like diversity.

 

[Riverwolf]

It isn't always, but without progress human existence has basically no point. Progress isn't about good or bad, it's about making humanity have some sort of lasting function - a way of stamping our mark on the Universe and reaching beyond the limits of human potential in our comprehension of the Universe. The desire to know more and be more is perhaps the most noble aspect of the human condition.

...kind of a waste of time, though, don't you think? Everything we do will be dust ultimately. No mark we leave will have any lasting impact or function on that scale.

Without progress, we still have experience, the desire of which seems to be a primary driving force for our behavior, moreso than the desire to become Gods.

 

[Riverwolf]

I disagree that human existence is meaningless without "progress." I suppose I've gotten very cynical about this ideal of progress because it has meant destruction and desecration of what I consider sacred. Pushing human potential has been at the expense of others, and I am ashamed that my species is the architect of a sixth mass extinction. I would prefer we exhibit restraint. But we don't. I would like it if this ideal of progress we have was not at the expense of everything non-human. I would also like it if "advanced" cultures respected more "primitive" ways of life and left them alone instead of wiping them out. I like diversity.

In my observations, we're not behaviorally any less "primitive" than we've ever been. We're just better at pretending we're not.

 

[dgirl1986]

As indicated by others...I think people hold progress back rather than a religion itself, that being said not all progress is good progress.

 

[Iti oj]

I agree competly with your teacher. Yet flying cars wont happeb because of some unknown conspiracy

 

[Madhuri]

I think it would be more accurate to say that ethics comes into play rather than religion. Would anybody argue that self-driving cars are unethical?
Religion makes an impact when it takes a firm stance on a particular ethical issue and whether the impact is good or bad is a matter of subjective perception.

 

[LegionOnomaMoi]

So, my question is, do you agree that religion is holding us back, keeping us tied to the past and slowing our move to the future?

Interestingly enough, the question itself is almost certainly the product of religion (indirectly). Christianity is certainly not the only teleological religion or cultural frame, but it is certainly the most influential. Norman Cohn's The Pursuit of the Millennium: Revolutionary Millenarians and Mystical Anarchists of the Middle Ages is still a relevant (if now classic) text on the issue, but unfortunately it doesn't describe the effect which remained even after Christianity itself began to be questioned an rejected. Marx is perhaps the best example, given his anti-religious stance but retention of Christianity's teleology, of how ingrained in Western society the idea of progress, evolution (in the non-biological sense), and "moving forward" are all fundamentally paired with time and the future.

What exactly would a "move to the future" be? If in a century all research, development, education, and business in the entire world suddenly ceased and human societies the world over resembled what they did 10,000 years ago, it would still be the future.

And let us not forget that as much as "progress" can consist of developments most would agree are good (medicine, "clean" energy, etc.), it's all relative. Not so long ago, Eugenics was the paragon of progress, and the Nazis the paragon of the Eugenic ideal.

Technological innovation and development are not intrinsically valuable. In order for there to be progress, a particular worldview (in which morality, ideals, acceptable and unacceptable deviations from norms, and so forth are defined) is required. Religion can (and throughout history has) provided this, but it certainly need not. However, you don't get "progress" without a completely unscientific, relative cultural framework to define what constitutes progress.

 

[Sleeppy]

Even shorter: No.

 

[Badran]

Within the major religions which mostly contain the elements who are the main cause for slowing down progress, there are other elements who are the complete opposite. So i'd say that certain mindsets, and their amount in the world is what's responsible for slowing anything down, rather than religion in general.

I would also say that some religion might provide a better fostering environment for said mindsets than others.

Progress's main value to me is in the fact that it increases our knowledge, and holds with it huge potential for betterment of conditions for our species. It's not always a good thing, but most of the time it is.

 

[Breathe]

There are always forces in society that keep us tied to the yesterday. Wasn´t it religion it would be something else.

But sure, it is currently manifestating through religion.

This. Some do, but not all.

I'm really irritable right now, so I'm laying it on rudely.

Drunken people ******* up walls and fighting outside kebab stores before going to their dealer and picking up an ounce of coke before going home to get their job seekers allowance and child benefit for the kid that goes hungry while they spend the money on things to inject in themselves and are drunk at 1pm.

They're inhibiting progress. And there's plenty of people like this around. Some I've had the displeasure of meeting -- and reporting to social services, without anything coming of it.

My wife going to church is not impeding progress. Anyone who thinks so can go **** themselves with a shovel.

I've had enough of the religious bashing. I think I need to leave RF for a while.