Religious Studies Review / April 2003 HABITS OF THE HIGH-TECH HEART. LIVING VIRTUOUSLY IN THE INFOR MATION AGE. By Quentin I. Schultze. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002. Pp. 256. $24.99, ISBN 0-8010-2322-X. Schultze presents a critique of information technology centered around the detractions technology has made from "virtuous living." Schultze feels that virtues like ought to, meaning. intimacy, moral discourse, discernment, judgment, wisdom, insight, listening, shalom, silence, community, responsibility, accountability, humility, patience, authenticity, hospitality, and depth have been lost as society has embraced digital technologies like the Internet and e-mail. Schultze's expertise as a professor of communication at Calvin College is evident in the tremendous diversity of examples of how information technologies have diminished a societal emphasis on virtue. The virtues, however, tend to get lost in the almost constant emphasis on the negative aspects of technology and on traditional forms of interaction like "orality" that he sees as only possible in face-to-face space and time. The pervading theme is problems with communicating via technology, as opposed to traditional means, and much less how we can live virtuously while using technology. Other works like The Soul in Cyberspace (Douglas Groothuis, 1997) present a more reflective and less abrasive examination of benefits and detriments of living a virtuous life in our digital age. Despite the overemphasis on the straw men of information technologies, Schultze clearly continues a conversation in text about the impact of technology on human life and relationships that is worthy of further serious consideration in our homes, churches, and schools. Robert Kistler
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