Episode Overview

Title: The Art and Science of Technomancy
Podcast: The Lord of Spirits
Hosts: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick & Fr. Stephen De Young
Date: December 15, 2023
Theme:
Exploring the origins, nature, and spiritual implications of technology (techne) in both the ancient and modern worlds, through the lens of Orthodox Christian tradition. The episode investigates how technology is more than gadgets—it is a way of knowing and relating to the world, with instrumental uses that have profound theological and communal ramifications.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining Technology and Techne

• Techne (Greek root of "technology") refers broadly to know-how: the instrumental knowledge of how to use, shape, and arrange things—whether rocks, words, or ideas—to accomplish intended purposes (15:13-18:26).
• It contrasts with other ways of knowing, such as:
  • Noetic knowing (spiritual perception)
  • Episteme (scientific demonstration)
  • Phronesis (moral/practical reasoning)
  • Sophia (wisdom/pattern recognition) (11:10-13:00)
• Technology extends beyond tools and machines; it includes ideologies, systems, narratives, and even manipulative social constructs (27:44-28:10).

Quote:

“Ultimately, every product of techne... can be rightly called technology.”
—Fr. Stephen De Young (22:42)

2. Instrumentality and Agency

• Instruments, including ideas, have no agency of their own—they are used by agents (humans, spiritual beings) for their own purposes (29:02-31:06).
• This insight undermines claims such as "religion causes war" or "technology makes us evil"—people wield ideas and technology to achieve what they already desire (31:43-32:12).

Quote:

“Religion, an idea, right? Can't cause anyone to do anything.”
—Fr. Stephen (32:12)

3. Technology as Spiritual Practice: Magic, Idolatry, & Enchantment

• In the ancient world, techne included “spiritual technology”: magic and sacrificial ritual, both understood as instrumental ways of interacting with—or manipulating—the spiritual world (37:44-39:08).
  • Magic: The belief that correct procedures always produce the same result—a mechanistic view which seeks guaranteed outcomes (38:41-39:31).
  • Idolatry & Sacrifice: More relational, allowing for divine agency—“the god can refuse the sacrifice” (39:56-40:41).
• Even the paganism of Homer and Greek myth demonstrates this instrumental worldview, where sacrifices and rituals are battle tactics as much as swords and spears (42:18-44:15).

Quote:

“It’s very much instrumental. It is getting someone to do what you want.”
—Fr. Stephen (44:19)

4. The Dehumanization of Instrumentality & the Mechanistic Cosmos

• Viewing humans, spiritual beings, or even God in purely instrumental terms leads to depersonalization and a mechanistic (deterministic) worldview (45:52-47:06).
  • Example: Modern materialism erases purpose and free will (“dominoes all the way down”) (48:05-50:06).
  • Even atonement theories can reflect this, where salvation is reduced to a spiritual mechanism rather than a living relationship with God (51:29-55:09).

Quote:

“When this mode of techne is applied to humans... it is innately depersonalizing and dehumanizing.”
—Fr. Stephen (46:23)

5. Technology through Ancient Eyes: Pagan Myths and the Bible

• Ancient stories attribute the origins of technology to supernatural mediators:
  • Babylonian: The Apkallu (“seven sages”) grant forbidden civilizational knowledge, resulting in both blessing and judgment (78:45-82:23).
  • Biblical: Technology—in the line of Cain—arises from the “worst of the worst,” linked with sin and the manipulation of creation before humanity is ready (85:09-92:41). First Enoch and Jubilees stress that this forbidden knowledge is mediated by fallen angels (93:10-94:13).
  • Greek: Prometheus gives sacrificial technology (“fire”) to humanity, angering the gods—not for cooking, but for altering divine–human relations (102:06-103:39).

Quote:

“The technology is actually coming from the worst of the worst.”
—Fr. Stephen (92:32)

6. Collective Maturity: When Knowledge is Forbidden or Permitted

• There is no inherently evil knowledge, but some knowledge is forbidden “by circumstance”—when humanity lacks the spiritual maturity to use it rightly (126:04-127:31).
  • The Tree of Knowledge in Eden symbolizes good knowledge, but given before maturity (“wasn’t just a random test”) (128:05-129:40).
  • St. Sophrony: If humanity were holier, God would allow more technology; spiritual maturity is the prerequisite (131:18-131:37).
• Orthodox tradition, as “the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church,” models how a Spirit-governed community discerns and grows toward such maturity collectively, not individually (137:11-142:24).

7. Modern Fragmentation & Technological Alienation

• The technological explosion of the late 20th and early 21st centuries—particularly the Internet—has led to disconnection, echo chambers, and alienation, rather than the connection and shared experience of earlier tech booms (149:01-151:26).
• Modern technology pulls us apart, emphasizing personalization and individualism over communal life (146:48-147:38).

Listener Q&A Highlight

Caller Joseph: How is magic different from the Eucharist, since both involve ritual and formula?

• Magic is about guaranteeing results by correct performance; the Eucharist is a prayerful request where God may say yes or no. The ritual derives from Christ’s command and relies on divine agency, not human manipulation (69:53-77:44).

Quote:

“The Eucharist is explicitly a request, a prayer to God to do something. He does not have to do it.”
—Fr. Andrew (70:53)

Practical & Theological Takeaways

Technology Is Not Evil—But It’s Dangerous Without Maturity

• No forbidden knowledge per se; but misapplied or prematurely accessed techne is destructive.
• Our era’s chief spiritual problem is not the presence of tech, but the lack of collective wisdom and community to wield it rightly.

Individualism Is the Enemy of Both Freedom and Maturity

• Instrumentality and individualism dehumanize; true freedom is found in communal service to God (162:14-163:16).

Repentance Means Re-Founding Community

• The only meaningful context for discerning and rightly using technology is the “3D” (real, embodied) Church community:
  • Retreat from technological atomization
  • Rebuild local parish life as the locus of real human freedom, relationship, and collective wisdom (166:02-169:14).

Quote:

"Frankly, the only place we can do this now is in our parishes... There’s not another spot to start building a community from."
—Fr. Stephen (166:16)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (w/ Timestamps)

• On Techne’s all-encompassing nature
  “Every product of techne... can be rightly called technology.” (22:42, Fr. Stephen)
• On magic and liturgy
  “Magic is about guaranteed results and about the actions themselves doing the thing. The Eucharist is explicitly a request, a prayer to God to do something... He does not have to do it.” (70:53, Fr. Andrew)
• On the dehumanizing effect of instrumentality:
  “When this mode of techne is applied to humans... it is innately depersonalizing and dehumanizing.” (46:23, Fr. Stephen)
• Summing up the problem:
  “We are currently doing things that we don’t really want to do, that are making our lives worse, that are alienating us, that we've been tricked into doing by a prolonged indoctrination in certain ideas.” (165:04, Fr. Stephen)

Recommended Segment Timestamps

• Techne vs. other ways of knowing: 09:05–15:46
• Ideas and agency: 29:02–32:12
• Magic and idolatry as spiritual technology: 37:44–41:29
• Genesis & forbidden knowledge origins: 85:09–94:13
• Listener question: Is the Eucharist magic? 69:44–77:44
• Modern tech fragmentation: 149:01–151:26
• Final takeaways on community & freedom: 160:51–169:09

Conclusion

Tone:
Erudite but approachable, tinged with humor, and ultimately pastoral—challenging listeners without despair, urging return to communal, sacramental life as the antidote to the alienation wrought by both ancient and modern technomancy.

Final Word:
True freedom, flourishing, and proper technology use can only be realized together, in the Church, rejecting the isolating instrumentalization of the individual in favor of the Spirit-led, collective wisdom of the Body of Christ.