Techno-demonology: Naming, Understanding and Redeeming the A/Human Agencies with Which We Share Our World

In this paper I argue that an important strand of ecotheology should be an articulated techno-demonology—an understanding of the ways that technologies increasingly confront us as indifferent or malign agencies. Drawing particularly on the New Testament language of spiritual agencies, I consider in turn three necessary components of techno-demonology. First, techno-demonology needs a taxonomic nomenclature, one which ‘names’ techno-demonological phenomena in a manner that reveals the specific ways in which the technologies can stand before us as autonomous powers. As a contribution to this task I distinguish between elementals (stoicheia) and powers (dynameis)—between technical systems which have become treated as ends in themselves, and have thus started to control human action, and technologies whose unanticipated side-effects overwhelm their intended purposes. Second, I suggest that techno-demonology should include an understanding of how such techno-demons arise; I thus give historical explanations for the proliferation of technological elementals and powers in the contemporary world. Finally, I argue that techno-demonology should include the redemptive task of restoring technology to its rightful place in creation. * I owe many thanks to Peter Manley Scott, Maureen Junker-Kenny and Neil Messer for their part in conversations which have greatly assisted me in developing the ideas in this paper, and to Celia-Deane-Drummond and Robin Grove-White for their continuing warm encouragement of this area of my work. I must also thank participants at the conference ‘Fabricated Nature? From Global Ecology to Biotechnology’, held at University College Chester, 9 July 2004, at which an earlier version of this paper was presented and prompted extremely useful discussion. Thanks are also owed to Linda Woodhead and Fraser Watts for suggesting further reading.