Soul searching : finding space for the soul in the New Digital Age
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Date
Authors
Brittz, Karli
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Pretoria, Department of Visual Arts
Abstract
Within the context of the New Digital Age, is there still space to explore the
phenomenon of the soul? The soul is often omitted in the philosophical discourse
of technology and its impact on being human, owing to the (mis)conceptualisation
of the soul as an outdated, western notion that is no longer applicable or significant
in contemporary society and global culture. Throughout this article, I counter
this argument by showing that an exploration of the soul in a technologicallydriven
society remains significant, since it reveals pivotal aspects of being human
in contemporary society that could not have been highlighted otherwise. I maintain
that the soul deserves consideration within the New Digital Age, since it allows
us to think about being human in relation to technology in a unique manner,
uncovering promising ideas as well as critical forewarnings. I also show that the
soul is a culturally universal notion that enables a global discussion. By exploring
visual culture examples (namely her, artworks by Aleksandra Mir and Wit) that
represent various perspectives on the soul within a technological society, I
contend that visual culture opens up a space for discussion on the soul in the
New Digital Age.
Description
Keywords
Technology, Soul, New Digital Age, Visual culture, Monism, Dualism
Sustainable Development Goals
Citation
Brittz, K. 2018, 'Soul searching: finding space for the soul in the New Digital Age', Image and Text, vol. 31, pp. 1-29.