Thomas Merton died more than 40 years ago, but his voice still resounds—and his visionary take on the pervasiveness of technology still startlingly prescient. Based on a quote from the famed monk’s 1968 work Faith and Violence, “Can contemplation still find a place in the world of technology and conflict which is ours?” Bellarmine University will present “Contemplation in a Technological Era: Thomas Merton's Insight for the Twenty-First Century” this weekend.
The keynote lecture Friday evening in the Amy Cralle Theater is free and open to the public. The speaker will be Albert Borgmann, a philosophy professor at the University of Montana, who specializes in the philosophy of society and culture with particular emphasis on technology. Dr. Borgmann will take the podium at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday’s all-day session, which requires registration ($50 for students with ID, $95 for the general public) will include topics such as Phillip Thompson on “Questioning the Goal of Biological Immortality: Mertonian Reflections on Living Eternally,” Daniel Horan, OFM speaking about “Digital Natives and the Digital Self: The Wisdom of Thomas Merton for Millennial Spirituality and Self-Understanding” and more. Registration includes meals and a reception Saturday evening.
While Friday’s event is open to the general public, the number of spaces for Saturday’s program is limited. To register, contact Dr. Paul Pearson at (502) 272-8177. A full schedule of events and detailed presenter biographies are at http://www.merton.org/technology.
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Photo by Thomas Merton: Courtesy The Merton Center at Bellarmine University
