GastvortragHerr Prof. Dr. Joseph David

Professor Dr. Joseph David, Fellow am Institut für Religionswissenschaft, im Rahmen des 4EU+ Programms, Juni 2024

„Religion after Data-driven Technologies“

Mittwoch, 19.06.2024, 18 Uhr C.T., Fischmarkt 2 / Konferenzraum 3. OG

Throughout the annals of human history, religion and technology have been fundamentally entwined, jointly sculpting the trajectory of civilizations. Within the Western canon, this coexistence has occasionally been fraught with tension and conflict, manifesting across both practical and theoretical dimensions. Nonetheless, despite intermittent suspicion and animosity, these spheres have persisted as cornerstones of the human saga, and their evolution was not disrupted by the complexities of their interrelation. Over the centuries, a series of delicate equilibriums have emerged, fostering the concurrent flourishing of religion and technology, with each domain reciprocally informing and acknowledging the other.

The contemporary epoch, however, confronts these historical equilibriums with the rise of data-driven technologies (DDT), prompting a critical inquiry: Are these historical balances sustainable, or have they been irrelevant to the novel context?

This lecture ventures into the unexplored confluence of traditional religious frameworks and DDT. We will incisively explore the ramifications of the information revolution and the inception of data science on the symbiotic bond between religion and technology. Our analysis will chart the emergent challenges, influences, synergies, and metamorphoses that are reshaping their intricate rapport, evaluating the pertinence of historical equilibriums within this novel paradigm. We will articulate theoretical perspectives to decipher this evolving dynamic, offering a conceptual framework to comprehend the profound impacts of DDT on religious institutions, doctrines, and practices.

Joseph David is Professor of Law at Sapir Academic College in Israel and a Visiting Professor at the Program in Judaic Studies at Yale University and of Law at Yale Law School. His areas of expertise encompass Law and Religion, Legal History, Comparative Law, Legal Philosophy and Jurisprudence.