Standing at the Precipice: Faith in the Age of Science and Technology

Azizah Y. al-Hibri, University of Richmond

Abstract

At the cusp of the second millennium, however, a new age has dawned upon us. It is the Age of Information that emphasizes iuterconnectedness, decentralization, and innovation. This new age tends to promote an organic as opposed to a mechanistic reality. It abandons a hierarchical mechanistic logic in favor of "flattened" networks of relationships. It replaces the ideology of conflict that characterized the Industrial Age with a new ideology of cooperation. It replaces homogeneity with diversity, and centralization with increased participation and democracy. Properly understood and managed, this age can usher in better political, social, and economic relations in our society and in the world. Left in chaos, it could result in the disarray of our various institutions.