Chapel Library

Faith and Facebook:  A Discussion of the Neuroscience, Sociology
and Theology of Social Media

Led by Dr. Wesley Avram

The Fran Park Center for Faith and Life warmly invites all generations, faith perspectives and scientific backgrounds to join us with your own ideas, information, openness, and opinions. Oh, and be sure to Tweet, post, blog, and otherwise socially mediate this exciting evening of discussion! 

This month’s Faith and Science Roundtable is taught by Dr. Wesley Avram, Director of the Fran Park Center for Faith and Life.  Dr. Avram was taught by Ivan Illich and other philosophers of technology and has a PhD in Rhetoric from Northwestern University.  He has published, taught, and led discussions on faith and technology since the late 1980s.

Chamath Palihapitiya, a one-time Vice President of Facebook said: “It literally is a point now where I think we have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works. That is truly where we are,” he said. “The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works: no civil discourse, no cooperation, misinformation, mistruth. And it’s not an American problem. This is not about Russian ads. This is a global problem.” (reported by Amy Wang in the Washtington Post, Dec. 12, 2017)

An opposing view comes from Stacey Simpson Duke of Colombia Theological Seminary saying “Boundaries are being exploded, and the world is on fire with the dazzling possibilities the new media seem to offer.  Is it possible those broken boundaries can led to new, accessible, dynamic forms of Christian community?”

The Fran Park Center for Faith and Life welcomes all who wish to participate in an open roundtable to discuss various current topics of faith and science.