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MAGIC AND THE PHENOMENON OF THE DEMONIC - THE PATH TOWARDS THE 21ST CENTURY TRANSHUMANISM

Publication at Hussite Theological Faculty |
2019

Abstract

This article analyses the transition of the divine and the demonic from the Middle Ages to their new conception in the present day. The Middle Ages were associated with a strong faith in God, in the demonic, and in angelic forces.

In the centuries since medieval times, the gradual development of scientific thinking, cartesianism and positivism, has led to the current paradigm, in which the demonic and the angelic were, for the vast majority of the population, expelled to the realm of superstition and myth. However, great technological developments and an increase in the knowledge about the world have led to such scientific possibilities where old concepts like God, the devil, and demons emerge again in the new realities.

A new world-view appears - transhumanism. In light of the significant scientific progress of the 21st century, God and the Devil as the creations of Man (Artificial Intelligence) or as beings belonging to the world of virtual reality also have new conceptual contents.

Thus, there are new impulses to re-visit the old concepts of magic and faith, of spiritual experiences and theology.