Spiritual traditions as driving force for modern technologies?

This thesis will explore, in a critical and analytical way, the role of traditional beliefs in China (Buddhist, Confucianist, Taoist, Popular, animistic…) in the development of modern High-Tech. Based on the study of historical and ethnographic first and second hand material focused on a crossed history and anthropology of religion and technologies, the research will unveil the influence of religious / spiritual symbolism, moods and attitudes in favor of (or in resistance against) the rise and advances in progress of modern technologies (computing, Artificial intelligence, robotics…). A second part of the research will be devoted to the other facet of this phenomenon, i.e. the impact of technologies on religious thoughts and practices. The Ph-D thesis will rely upon solid case studies and will pave the way to comparative analysis, to discuss the particularity of religion in Chinese technology, if ever there is one.