Technology and the Human Purpose

Brian Wixted and Nick Toews

In a discussion ranging over the full history of human making (stone tools to modern cities), we centre our perspective of human purpose within a Christian worldview. Our distinctive focus centres on how the Bible's lens on a diverse range of technologies starts within its ancient culture. However, its theological position often transforms those ideas with its own unique moral imagination. Bringing the Bible's ideas to bear on times and places beyond the text, we must grapple with the original cultures and the theological transformation.

  1. APR 7

    S6E7 Techumanpurpose •• EEAAO Everything (nearly) - Services change is mostly manufactured

    This is the second season of my roll of the dice series. In this season I am focussing of the changes throughout the economy, and less on the values behind and being pushed by those changes. I think it is really important to take stock and observe so we are clear about what is happening. This episode really is about everything. Well almost. The technological disruptions occurring across the enormous services sector are fascinating. This is just a little snapshot of the last few years of developments.  Covered in this episode. D Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply E Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities F Construction G Wholesale and retail trade H Transportation and storage I Accommodation and food service activities J Publishing, broadcasting, and content production and distribution activities K Telecommunications, computer programming, consultancy, computing infrastructure, and other information service activities L Financial and insurance activities M Real estate activities N Professional, scientific and technical activities O Administrative and support service activities P Public administration and defence; compulsory social security Q Education R Human health and social work activities S Arts, sports and recreation T Other service activities U Activities of households as employers; undifferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of households for own use V Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies ------- Some notes  Global supply chains. https://unctad.org/news/gas-grain-fertilizer-disruptions-raise-risks-food-security-and-trade  https://www.economies.com/forex/news/beyond-oil:-which-global-supply-chains-has-the-iran-conflict-disrupted%20-48545   The intro and outro music is 'fantasy orchestra' available at https://freesound.org/

    50 min
  2. 2025-12-16

    S6E3 Techumanpurpose •• (A)EEAAO The (Almost) Everything Revolution - the periodic and bio table of our economy.mp3

    The episode is all about how we use stuff and how much we use. From growing almonds to cooling data centres to our global probably unsustainable use of sand.  Just a few of the resources used to make this podcast. Australian social media ban for under 16s https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/04/social-media-ban-instagram-facebook-accounts-shutting-down-closing-teen-under-16-australia  Almonds production. https://www.almonds.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/Water_footprint_plus_almonds.pdf  2012 PNAS. The water footprint of humanity Arjen Y. Hoekstra and Mesfin M. Mekonnen www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1109936109  Water and Data centres https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-63-the-current/clip/16163527-can-deleting-eails-help-save-water-drought  Data Centres AI Power and Water Usage (Goodyear Data Centre). https://andthewest.stanford.edu/2025/thirsty-for-power-and-water-ai-crunching-data-centers-sprout-across-the-west/  Really excellent explanation.https://theconversation.com/data-centers-consume-massive-amounts-of-water-companies-rarely-tell-the-public-exactly-how-much-262901# MIT Technology Review - We did the math on AI's energy footprint. Here's the story you haven't heard.   ABC – Globally Sand is a problem. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-25/sand-mining-impacts-vietnam-bridges/104511578\  https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/latenightlive/sand-shortage-daniel-franks/105918556   The intro and outro music is 'fantasy orchestra' available at https://freesound.org/

    51 min
  3. 2025-11-27

    S6E2 Techumanpurpose •• The (Almost) Everywhere Revolution

    The season is all about the (almost) everywhere everything all at once revolution we are living through at the present moment. Today, its about the almost everywhere nature of change.  We live in a fast changing world it seems.  While the world tech hubs are still the mountain peaks of the global technosphere, the 21st technologies are mostly quickly beginning to spread. Everything is changing it seems but how far do the changes go.  Notes News  Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/investigations/meta-is-earning-fortune-deluge-fraudulent-ads-documents-show-2025-11-06/  . Pay Wall but the first para is readable.  LLM and Roomba. https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/llm-robot-vacuum-existential-crisis  Go listen to Holy Post 696: Transcending Our Political Divisions & Labels with Andy Beshear. Development. Dani Rodrik Journal Econ Growth (2016) 21:1–33.  Premature Deindustrialisation Energy. International Energy Agency. Access to electricity stagnates, leaving globally 730 million in the dark. https://www.iea.org/commentaries/access-to-electricity-stagnates-leaving-globally-730-million-in-the-dark  Mobility. The Economist October 4th 2025. Automation. Way more. SAN FRANCISCO. The peculiar economics of self-driving taxis.  AI and Development. Technology: Leaps and limits. Can artificial intelligence make the poor world richer? Economist 25 October 2025 p63-64. Weird and Wonderful. Those Year 7 students https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-02/3d-printed-hands-made-by-port-macquarie-high-school-sudents/105793670  Utter disruption. Suspected drone sightings disrupt flights at Belgium airports. BBC 4 Nov 2025 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyk9k399lyo The intro and outro music is 'fantasy orchestra' available at https://freesound.org/ Watch out for more information and connected content with each episode on the blog https://theology-and-technology.blogspot.com/

    33 min

About

In a discussion ranging over the full history of human making (stone tools to modern cities), we centre our perspective of human purpose within a Christian worldview. Our distinctive focus centres on how the Bible's lens on a diverse range of technologies starts within its ancient culture. However, its theological position often transforms those ideas with its own unique moral imagination. Bringing the Bible's ideas to bear on times and places beyond the text, we must grapple with the original cultures and the theological transformation.