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Technology and the Reformed Philosophical Tradition

Derek and Abraham Kuyper, Free University, Amsterdam.

The Reformed “neo-Calvinist” tradition was birthed out of the work of Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck in the early 20th century, but has roots that can be traced back to John Calvin and even further back to St. Augustine. Around the turn of the twentieth centry, Kuyper wrote and reflected on technology with insights that can speak to our digital age and the age of AI. More broadly, in the words of Nicholas Wolterstorff, “neo-Calvinists interpret our fundamental cultural-historical obligation as the obligation toward God… to ‘open up’ creation’s potentials.” It is a tradition that is both orthodox and modern, retrieving historical Reformed resources to inform modern life in a new and fresh way.

Another stream of Reformed philosophical thought also emerged in the mid-twentieth century developed by Herman Dooyeweerd and Dirk Vollenhoven. This stream of Christian philosophy has been named Reformational Philosophy and is characterized by its insights for culture and society at large and a commitment to the common good. One key insight is the notion that all theoretical thought is based on presuppositions that are inherently religious in nature, hence the need for a distinctly Christian philosophy. Another key concept is a set of fifteen “modal aspects” which describe various laws and norms in created reality. A wonderful summary of Reformational worldview thinking can be found in the book Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview by Al Wolters (who taught for many years at Redeemer College).

Engineers who read philosophy
Drawing by Sean Purcell.

Reformational thought has also been particularly fruitful for work in the philosophy of technology. In fact, some of the early work in the philosophy of technology was forged by Reformational scholars like Hendrik Van Riessen, author of De Maatschappij der Toekomst (The Society of the Future). Van Riessen studied under Vollenhoven, forging some of the early work in the philosophy of technology. The well-known philosopher of technology, Carl Mitcham, recognized Van Riessen’s contributions in his classic book, Thinking Through Technology, and Mitcham was later invited to deliver the first Van Riessen Memorial Lecture.

Derek Schuurman and Egbert Schuurman
Derek Schuurman and Egbert Schuurman.

One of Van Riessen’s graduate students, Egbert Schuurman, worked as an engineer before going on to do further studies in the philosophy of technology. His thesis was later published under the title Technology and the Future: A Philosophical Challenge. He eventually took over Van Riessen’s position at Delft University and went on to train another generation of Christian philosophers of technology. He also served as a member of the Dutch Senate for many years, demonstrating the relevance of Reformed philosophical thinking for making political and social decisions about technology, also as a member of the steering committee of The Royal Institute of Engineers on “Limits to technology.” Calvin Professor Derek Schuurman has been greatly influenced by Egbert (no relation). Egbert has lived for many years in the same town near where Derel’s late wife grew up.

Contributions from Calvin University

Several scholars who have served at Calvin have made significant contributions to the Reformed academic tradition. These include people like Nicholas Wolterstorff and Alvin Plantinga, who developed a line of philosophical thinking often referred to as Reformed Epistemology. Wolterstorff and Plantinga described their work in a book titled Faith And Rationality: Reason and Belief in God (1984), making the case that religious belief can be rational. Reformed epistemology has made significant contributions to philosophical discourse and was even mentioned in a 1980 Time magazine article. Other notable Reformed scholars who have worked at Calvin and made significant contributions include Richard Mouw, Gordon Spykman, and George Marsden, among many others.

In the 1980s, Calvin convened a group of scholars to create a landmark book on technology titled Responsible Technology (1986). This edited book project was informed by Reformational thinking and was funded by the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship (CCCS) (Egbert Schuurman was a contributor to this book). This book inspired some of the founders of the Christian Engineering Society, which started in 1992 with a modest gathering of 40 engineering educators on the campus of Calvin College. This book influenced many subsequent papers and articles on the intersection of faith and engineering. Many other engineering programs at North American Christian colleges and universities have been influenced by concepts laid out in Responsible Technology which is evident in the published proceedings of the biennial conference of the Christian Engineering Society.

Some books, such as A Christian Field Guide to Technology for Engineers and Designers, were directly inspired by Responsible Technology. This inspiration was acknowledged at the book launch along with gratitude to the larger community of Christian scholars. Another book that owes gratitude to Responsible Technology is Shaping a Digital World, which explores the implications for computer science. Most recently, the Calvin Center for Christin Scholarship sponsored another book project on Artificial Intelligence (AI) titled Christian Wisdom for the Age of AI: Insights for Education, Health Care, Vocation, Culture, and the Church.

At Calvin University, several faculty have contributed to ongoing dialogue on faith and technology. In the 1980s, Jim Bosscher helped establish an engineering program rooted in the Reformed tradition. Quentin Schultze was a leading voice as the World Wide Web and digital technologies became more ubiquitous in the 2000’s. Gayle Ermer and Steve VanderLeest, both Calvin engineering professors, wrote extensively on faith and engineering and have provided leadership in the Christian Engineering Society.

Reformational thinking continues to inform computer science and engineering education at Calvin and the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship continues to support work in Faith and Technology. Current Calvin faculty continue the work in engaging contemporary technology issues through a Reformed Christian lens. Examples include faculty such as Derek Schuurman, Katie Day Good, Rachel Hammond, David Smith, Craig Mattson, Eric Araujo, and Fernando Santos, who have each made contributions to thinking about faith and technology.

In North America, several undergraduate engineering programs have been informed by the Reformational tradition. Charlie Adams wrote many articles on faith and engineering and helped establish the engineering department at Dordt University based on Reformed principles. The notion of “design norms,” derived from the “modal aspects” mentioned earlier have been introduced at different Christian universities. These “design norms” provide a framework for designers to take more creational factors into account. Technology is not neutral, but rather has substantial cultural, social, lingual, economic, aesthetic, and justice issues. I am grateful for the many helpful insights of the Reformed tradition. Indeed, we stand on the shoulders of many others.

An article related to this page was published in Christian Courier under the title “Technology and the Reformed Tradition.”

Below are some links to various resources about this Christian philosophical tradition: