| Education: PhD, Religious Studies, University of California at Santa Barbara MA, Religious Studies, University of California at Santa Barbara BA, Plan II Honors in Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin |
| Research: I study the power of religion in contemporary culture, particularly with regard to the interaction between religion and technology. Other interests include the history of science, anthropology of science, contemporary art, literature, Christian history, and economics. My past research focused upon the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and religion (primarily Jewish and Christian apocalypticism but also Japanese Buddhism and Shinto). That has led me to my current book project, which is about online gaming and religion. |
| Publications: (in order of their composition, not their publication) "Religion and Science in Daily Practice." Religion in the Practice of Daily Life (eds. Hecht and Biondo). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. 2009. Apocalyptic AI: Visions of Heaven in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Realisty. New York: Oxford University Press. Forthcoming. "Apocalyptic AI: Religion and the Promise of Artificial Intelligence." The Journal of the American Academy of Religion 76:1. 2008. 138-166. "Cultural Prestige: Popular Science Robotics as Religion-Science Hybrids." Reconfigurations: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Religion in a Post-Secular Society (eds. Alexander D. Ornella and Stefanie Knauss). LIT Press. 2007. 43-58. "Spiritual Robots: Religion and Our Scientific View of the Natural World." Theology and Science 4:3 (November 2006). 229-246. "Robots and the Sacred in Science and Science Fiction: Theological Implications of Artificial Intelligence." Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 42:4 (December 2007). 961-980. Human Nature and the Ethics of Progress: Power and Purpose in 20th Century Religion, Science and Art. Saarbrücken, Germany: VDM Verlag. 2008. "Signaling Static: Artistic, Religious and Scientific Truths in a Relational Ontology." Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 40: 4 (December 2005). 953-974. "Laboratory Ritual: Experimentation and the Advancement of Science." Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 37: 4 (December 2002). 891-908. |
| Popular
Publications:
"Virtual Salvation: The Sacred World of Second Life." SL'ang Life 4. 2008. “Religion for the Robots.”
Sightings. Published by
the Martin Marty
Center at the |
| Courses Taught: RELS 110 The Nature and Experience of Religion RELS 300 Gnosticism RELS 400 Religion and Contemporary Art RELS 425 Religion and Psychology RELS 463 Religion and Science RELS 480 Independent Study: Virtual Lives and Virtual Worlds (Ethics and the Divine in Robotics and AI) RELS 480 Independent Study: The Death of God and Sexuality in Modern Art RELS 480 Independent Study: Religion and Modern Media |
| Grants, Awards and Appointments: Visiting Researcher, Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute (summer 2007) Manhattan College Summer Research Grant (2007) New Visions of Nature,
Science, and Religion Research Stipend (2005-2006) New Visions of Nature,
Science, and Religion Research Stipend (2004-2005) |
| Academic Presentations: "The Virtual Sacred: Hierophanies of Second Life" at The Future of Religions/Religions of the Future: Dialectics of Faith and Technology in the Third Millennium conference in Al-Andalus in Second Life, June 4, 2008. "Religion, Spirituality and the Avatar" at Sophrosyne's Salon in Extropia Core, Second Life, March 15, 2008. “Apocalyptic Artificial
Intelligence: How Friends
are Never Quite Friendly
in Religion and Science” at the Manhattan College Dante
Seminar, |
--Shel Silverstein--
Sandra's seen a leprechaun,
Edie touched a troll,
Laurie danced with withces once,
Charlie found some goblins' gold.
Donald heard a mermaid sing,
Susy spied an elf,
But all the magic I have known
I've had to make myself.