The Humanitas Forum

“If you can’t measure it, it doesn’t exist” is a taken-for-granted axiom of our age.  It is part of everyday thinking as well as a key component in medical and other forms of research.  It has played an …

Two revolutions have radically altered the way families think about the meaning of the “home.”  The technological revolution currently extends and broadens the impact of the industrial revolution.  As a result, prevailing family practices create tension with a …

In a 2007 column, George Will described the use of prenatal screening for Down syndrome babies as a search-and-destroy mission.  His assessment was correct then and is ever more apt today.  Over 70 percent of Down babies are …

Phubbing is phone-snubbing.  It happens when someone pays attention to their mobile phone instead of the people in their immediate presence.  Many of us are guilty!  We’re also guilty of excusing our companions when they reach for …

Fix these images of media in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them as logos on all your clothing.  Show them to your children, texting about them when you sit at home and …

What has Christian theology to do with posthuman culture?

Much—or it should!  Over a half-century ago C. S. Lewis warned that the last step in man’s conquest of nature would mean the conquest of human nature itself.  …

The hotly debated issue of “designer babies” is back in the news.  A patent has just been issued to 23andMe for “gamete donor selection based on genetic calculations.”

This California-based company will use their newly patented Family Traits …

Every day we live with the consequences of deep cultural change that began hundreds of years ago.  The arrival of the postmodern era signals a profound change in the way the world is understood—and in the way people expect …

Raising questions about technology can get you in trouble.  In a culture where smart phones are frequently consulted before getting out of bed in the morning, all sorts of technologies are simply taken for granted.  Raising questions about …

What does technology want?  It wants to give us choices, to give us lots of opportunities, proclaims Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired magazine.  Once described as the “happy evangelist from Geekdom,” Kelly argues that technology enables us to …