Illusions of Freedom

Jeffrey M. Shaw is an adjunct professor in the General Studies department at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI. His publications are in the fields of ethics, theology, and national security. He lives on a small horse farm in Rhode Island with his wife and two daughters.

"The author's aim is in part to give voice to both men and to open up to the reader further avenues for reflection and inquiry on this concern and on the nature and meaning of life in contemporary society [...] The book opens up the central issues with some thought-provoking sections."-Fiona Gardner, Modern Believing, 56.3, July 2015"This is a book that will prove valuable to those seeking to develop a theological ethics of theology."-Eric Stoddart, The Merton Journal, Advent 2015, Vol.22, No.2"This is a clearly written, thoroughly researched and engaging account of what could be called theologies of technology."-David Lewin, Theology, Vol 118, No. 5, 2015"There are many gems here, as Shaw traces the attraction of Marxism for both men, and the influence on them of thinkers ranging from Barth to soren Kiekegaard and Aldous Huxley, and on to Karl Marx. This is a book that warrants careful study, not only by those keen to learn more about Ellul and Merton, but by anyone with an interest in the ever burgeoning influence of technology on our society and even our theology."-D. Gareth Jones, Theological Book Review, Vol. 26 No. 2, 2015"Its impressive scholarship, clarity of exposition, and, above all, its contemporary resonance should secure for this text a readship not just among theologians and sociologists but also among a general public beginning to question a thaumaturgical technology, which exacts a high price for its equivocal boons. I recommended it highly."-James M. Carr, Reviews in Religion and Theology, Volume 25, Issue 1, January 2018

• PrefaceAcknowledgments1 Introduction2 Merton and Ellul - Comparative Worldviews3 Theological Perspective4 Sociological Perspective5 Political Perspective6 Literature7 ConclusionAppendixBibliography