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TechGnosis: Myth, Magic & Mysticism in the Age of Information (Five Star Paperback) | 
 enlarge | Author: Erik Davis
Publisher: Five Star
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 433010
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 372
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 1852427728
Dewey Decimal Number: 303.4833
EAN: 9781852427726
ASIN: 1852427728
Publication Date: March 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
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Amazon.com Review
The gap between the technological mentality and the mystical outlook may not be as great as it seems. Erik Davis looks at modern information technology--and much previous technology--to reveal how much of it has roots in spiritual attitudes. Furthermore, he explores how those who embrace each new technological advance often do so with designs and expectations stemming from religious sensibilities. In doing so, Davis both compares and contrasts the scientific attitude that we can know reality technologically and the Gnostic idea of developing ultimate understanding. Although organized into reasonable chapters, there's a strong stream-of-consciousness component to Davis's writing. His expositions may run, for example, from information theory to the nebulous nature of Gnosticism to the philosophical problem of evil-all in just a few pages. It's as if there are so many connections to make that Davis's prose has to run back and forth across time and space drawing the lines. But the result, rather than being chaotic, is a lively interplay of wide-ranging ideas. His style is equally lively and generally engaging--if sometimes straying into the hip. In the end, he succeeds in showing the spiritual side of what some may see as cold, technological thought. --Elizabeth Lewis
Product Description
"A most informative account of a culture whose secular concerns continue to collide with their supernatural flip-side."-Voice Literary Supplement In this dazzling book, writer and cyber guru Erik Davis demonstrates how religious imagination, magical dreams and millennialist fervor have always permeated the story of technology. Through shamanism to Gnosticism, voodoo to alchemy, Buddhism to evangelism, TechGnosis peels away the rational shell of infotech to reveal the utopian dreams, alien obsessions and apocalyptic visions that populate the ongoing digital revolution. Erik Davis' work has appeared in Wired, The Village Voice and Gnosis, and he has lectured internationally on technoculture and new forms of religion. He is a fifth-generation Californian who currently lives in San Francisco.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
An interesting look at technology March 23, 2006
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
In TechGnosis, Erik Davis explores the relationship between the seemingly distinct worlds of technology and mysticism. Through a nearly overwhelming number of examples, Davis attempts to illustrate how technology has been influential in religious movements from Ancient Greece to the cyber-cults of recent years, and how mysticism has shaped technology, especially in modern IT. Throughout the book, he focuses on the similarities between the early Christian religion, Gnosticism, and the view of technology that our society holds today, citing the shared preoccupation with developing the knowledge to escape the troubles of the world. The connections are not always completely convincing, however, because Davis tends to present parallels between the two forms of thought rather than true relationships. Nonetheless, the book is a comprehensive overview of the progression of religion and technology, providing interesting accounts of alchemy, mesmerization, the early days of the Internet, and the power of science fiction and UFOs on culture and cults. The book has a very non-biased feeling, as Davis does not advocate a shift towards or away from a certain worldview, or attempt to prove the legitimacy of any religious views like so many other books on the topic. This makes the book feel a bit incomplete, as Davis simply presents a great deal of information and trivia that show similarities between religion and technology, without fully developing the implications of this similarity. However, the book remains powerful and interesting, and is written in an absorbing style. TechGnosis would entertain and educate anyone with an interest in the history and philosophy of technology, or mysticism and religion.
 SUBLIME September 1, 2005
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
What a fantastic read! Synthesis at last! At face value the world of IT is horribly devoid of any spiritual meaning. Davis slaughters that conception showing how, from prehistoric times, the story of technology has always been inextricably bound with man's spiritual quest.
The writing style is excellent, nuanced, quirky and the scope panoramic. Davis obviously has a very firm grip on such diverse subjects as history, religion, esoterica, IT, media and pop culture.
Working from prehistoric times through to a peek into the near future, speculations of the world of virtual embodiment and "plug-n-play" Nirvana, are rich food-for-thought. Can't wait for his next book due out in early 2006.
 What Goes Around Comes Around May 11, 2005
9 out of 23 found this review helpful
One of the funniest things about Techgnosis: Myth, Magic + Mysticism in the Age of Information, Erik Davis's much-ballyhooed 1999 release, was how it skewed the conventions of ' Frisco technological mysticism, managing to be distinctively perverse in a world already saturated with impenetrable tech writing and books with incredibly long and pretentious titles. At times the writing was laborious - tedious psychedelic musings, as Davis' Neo-geek garb, pseudo-intellectual facial hair, and droning point of view plugged you into the visionary amorality of robots.
With its oft-seen spiritual imagery and techno-porno bent, Techgnosis: Myth, Magic + Mysticism in the Age of Information finds Davis thin and wandering, blowing ploys that never worked before anyway - long words that no one is meant to understand, echoes of better writing, loose jamming that should have been edited into non-existence.
(...)
Sure, there are moments - the spine features an amazing font, the index is beautifully alphabetised and the Introduction admirably sums up Davis's creed ("Use words with a silent G and you'll surely alienate the unwashed masses"). A shuffling, upbeat passage of silly suppositions and the best use of Xena, Warrior Princess references since The Simpsons, the Intro expresses a bare logic of desire ("I want people to think that I'm smart, but also cool") that makes reading it seem as fun as sticking rusty nails into your eyeballs.
Chapter 1's miasma begins with 'a completely generalised statement about humanity', which starts out as fine, brain-twisting, leather-elbow-patch academia, but loses it after Davis uses the words Dionysian, Apollonian and Bacchantes in the same sentence. I haven't been able to get through the rest of the book without nodding out - the distinct lack of clarity is pleasant enough, but I expected more.
Unlike Margaret Wertheim or Richard Coyne, Davis hasn't figured out that a successful Techno-spiritual fusion requires brevity. The great bits here - mystery of faith, cliched exploration of tech-angst, an endearing lack of direction- are overwhelmed by ego-driven writing, ambiguous references to overtly obscure source material. Two-thirds of the way through, Techgnosis: Myth, Magic + Mysticism in the Age of Information starts reading like a fourteen-hour layover in Kashmir, a long-distance runaround with only Wired magazine and a pack of purple Bubblicious to pass the time.
(...)
Beautiful and Chaotic December 6, 2003
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
This book drew me to it with the cool cover (it's got holes in it!) and pulled me in with phrases like "glittering void of possibility" and "The emperor of technoscience has achieved dominion, though his clothes are growing more threadbare by the moment". I think in pictures, and this book makes awesome imagery.I've never done acid, but I imagine the writing style and imagery create similar pictures in mind. It looks somewhat like Fantasia in my mind. Sometimes you have to go back and reread to figure out how exactly the pink elephants turned into flying horses. :) Due to this, I have never been able to sit down and read this book for more than 20 min at a time (and normally I can sit for hours reading) because my brain threatens to melt down. This book is also not for those who want a concise text that talks about one or two topics exclusively. This book spans topics from Artificial Intelligence to Ben Franklin to Necromancer to Thoth and ties in everything in between - all relating it to how spirituality and technology interact. I didn't know anything about Gnosticsm when I picked up the book - and I can't honestly say I know much about it now. I thought a book that talked about technology and spirituality throughout history would be fascinating - and I was right. It has been very educational, and sometimes I need to look things up to understand a topic, although most of the people and topics he mentioned are familiar to me (even though I seldom know that particular tidbit). For reference, I have an associates degree (general studies) and a handful of computer science classes. I'm not the worlds most educated or well read person, but I have picked up surface information on quite a few topics and find anything to do with magic, spirituality, or computers fascinating. And I like stories about history when they don't bog me down in dates. :)
Techno wizard January 20, 2003
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
Techgnosis creatively runs the gamut of the language and human expression game - unfurled in such divergent media as computers, literature, and science.Davis paints a vivid picture of worlds that have opened up as a result of cutting edge human thinking and natural extensions of the human nervous system which have made our lives - if not entirely more useful - at least a lot more interesting and enjoyable. Davis is a modern shaman who ties together the mystical with the technological in ways that make sense. Very nicely done.
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