For I Desire Mercy and Not Outreach Programs: A Re-Working of the Prophetic Critique for the Digital Age
Bradley Thornock, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine, St. George, UT
The pre-exilic 8th century b.c.e. was a time of great wealth and prosperity for the kingdoms of Israel and later Judah--but only for a select few. Devastating inequities permeated these nations. The vast, vast majority lived in desperate poverty with only a handful of wealthy citizens. Yet, this elite still oppressed and extorted, over-taxed and peonaged the poor; squeezing and wrenching all they could from the destitute. Once the extraction was done, the wealthy would then patronize the temple to ritualize their holiness before God and man.
Out of this misjustice the prophetic critique was born. Prophets from various stations, whether from the courts of power like Isaiah or the lowly orchards like Amos, excoriated the wealthy. God’s incendiary view of this society and the Temple cult burned through these prophets’ words: “For I desired mercy and not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6); “I do not delight in the blood of bullocks” (Isaiah 1:11); “take thou away from the noise of thy songs” (Amos 5:23). Such language is a departure from the rest of the Hebrew Bible, which tended to give priority to the Temple and its cults. However, the prophetic critique was not a rejection of Temple ritual or the priestly class, but rather to point out that such acts were empty when done performatively. By monopolizing markets and the justice system to benefit themselves at the expense of the needy, the wealthy had sacrificed property that they had unduly earned. The prophetic critique exposed the hypocrisy and idolatry that had permeated throughout the upper class, aided and obscured by ritualistic Temple practices devoid of the “weightier matters” of mercy and justice.
Like the ancient kingdoms, our present society is built upon a foundation of inequities. These injustices are poised to become even more stark as the development and deployment of new technologies, like artificial intelligence, increase digital haves and have-nots. In this presentation, I will re-work the prophetic critique and apply it to this new digital age. As part of this presentation, I will discuss four concerns:
There is a heightened need for the religious response to the growing digital landscape. In this presentation I argue that the foundation of this response ought to follow the ancient prophetic critique by emphasizing the true development of mercy and justice, while calling out the pure performance of these virtues by technocrats and corporations for what they are--acts of hypocrisy and idolatry.
Out of this misjustice the prophetic critique was born. Prophets from various stations, whether from the courts of power like Isaiah or the lowly orchards like Amos, excoriated the wealthy. God’s incendiary view of this society and the Temple cult burned through these prophets’ words: “For I desired mercy and not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6); “I do not delight in the blood of bullocks” (Isaiah 1:11); “take thou away from the noise of thy songs” (Amos 5:23). Such language is a departure from the rest of the Hebrew Bible, which tended to give priority to the Temple and its cults. However, the prophetic critique was not a rejection of Temple ritual or the priestly class, but rather to point out that such acts were empty when done performatively. By monopolizing markets and the justice system to benefit themselves at the expense of the needy, the wealthy had sacrificed property that they had unduly earned. The prophetic critique exposed the hypocrisy and idolatry that had permeated throughout the upper class, aided and obscured by ritualistic Temple practices devoid of the “weightier matters” of mercy and justice.
Like the ancient kingdoms, our present society is built upon a foundation of inequities. These injustices are poised to become even more stark as the development and deployment of new technologies, like artificial intelligence, increase digital haves and have-nots. In this presentation, I will re-work the prophetic critique and apply it to this new digital age. As part of this presentation, I will discuss four concerns:
- The growing inequalities as a result of technological deployment. Algorithmic bias, especially against vulnerable groups, coupled with the cost-saving returns from technology being pulled away from labor/users and toward capital will aggravate rather than relieve future wealth disparities.
- The commodification of human beings into capital data streams. Surveillance capitalism dehumanizes users into data products while promoting wanton consumerism to drive more engagement.
- The hypocrisy of performative acts of justice undertaken by the technocrats and tech corporations that obscure their exploitation of the population and environment. Outreach programs, diversity initiatives, philanthropic giving and the like can whitewash corporate exploitation of the public and users/workers, thus sapping the virtues from these much needed programs and converting them into performative marketing schemes--often slashed or dropped when they threaten profits.
- The idolatry of viewing technology as the sole or main means of solving systemic social injustices. Future technological developments are treated messianically, saving humanity from our self-inflicted systematic social ills without the need for the wealthy and powerful to make necessary changes now, or sacrifice current profit models or develop deep virtues.
There is a heightened need for the religious response to the growing digital landscape. In this presentation I argue that the foundation of this response ought to follow the ancient prophetic critique by emphasizing the true development of mercy and justice, while calling out the pure performance of these virtues by technocrats and corporations for what they are--acts of hypocrisy and idolatry.