Modern faith in rationality has itself become a secular theology

Evidence

This rationality descends furthermore into metaphysics, the same kind of traditional metaphysics that our secular world vehemently shuns. The stubborn insistence on the belief that our rationality and its resultant sciences can and will accomplish our ideals has developed into a theology, if not a myth, namely, like God, reason and rationality as conceived by modernity must be served irrespective of how punitive they are or might become. This is no different than the inquisition besetting biblical Job, who accepts God’s severe punishment in the hope of salvation. — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism, 966

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels the critique of techno-optimism and the irrational worship of reason found in Adorno/Horkheimer’s Dialectic of Enlightenment. — connects to: Theology and philosophy together produced the modern subject concept.; Speed is modernity’s secular stand-in for eternal life — Hartmut Rosa, Social Acceleration: A New Theory of…, 490; Theologizing is not limited to formally trained clergy but happens in all Christian reflection — Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent: The Women’s…, 591
• SEED: Essay angle: ‘The theology of reason’ — how supposedly secular modernity smuggles back a quasi-religious faith in its own ideals, and what that says about contemporary trust in AI and technology.