Modernization as Liberation Theology

Abstract

One of the most enduring characteristics of human civilization is the way ruling elites espouse beliefs radically at odds with their own behaviors. The ancient Greeks recited the cautionary tales of Prometheus and Icarus while using fire, dreaming of flight, and pursing technological frontiers. Early agriculturalists told the story of the fall from Eden as a cautionary tale against agriculture. European Christians espoused poverty and peacemaking while accumulating wealth and waging war. And today the world’s most technology-rich consumers voice anxiety that continuing technological progress and consumption will be our downfall.