Should We, Therefore, Destroy the Servers?

May 23-25, 2024

Steubenville, OH 43952

The 4th annual New Polity conference, "Should We, Therefore, Destroy the Servers?," is a three-day opportunity to consider, discuss, and debate technology as to its nature, its status as a totalizing form of life, its effects on politics, and the possibilities and limits of doing something about it.

Featuring a keynote from Matthew Crawford, a Gala dinner on Saturday night, and the opportunity to present your own ideas on Thursday night, we continue to try to one-up ourselves.

Looking forward to seeing you there. Like actually seeing you!

Register now!

 

We hope you can attend in person! Digital access will not be offered this year.

* If you’re a religious that has taken a vow of poverty, contact cs@newpolity.com for an even larger discount.



Matthew B. Crawford attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he majored in physics. Later he earned a Ph.D. in political philosophy from the University of Chicago, specializing in ancient political thought. Currently he is a senior fellow at the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, but lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

D. C. Schindler, a Professor of Metaphysics and Anthropology at the John Paul II Institute in Washington DC, studied the Great Books at Notre Dame and theology at the JPII Institute, and earned a PhD in philosophy at the Catholic University of America. He is the author of many books, including Freedom from Reality: The Diabolical Character of Modern Liberty (Notre Dame, 2017) and The Politics of the Real: The Church between Liberalism and Integralism (New Polity, 2021), a translator of German and French, and a collaborating editor of Communio: International Catholic Review. Professor Schindler lives in Hyattsville, Maryland, with his wife and three children.

 

Andrew Willard Jones holds a PhD in Medieval History from Saint Louis University with a focus on the Church of the High Middle Ages. Jones’s work is primarily concerned with historical political theology and with the reconciliation of the post-modern with the pre-modern. Methodologically, his work treats history as a theological discipline and not as a secular archaeology. Jones is the author of Before Church and State: A Study of Social Order in St. Louis IX’s Sacramental Kingdom and the one-volume history of the Catholic Church The Two Cities: A History of Christian Politics. He is also working on an overview of the Church's social teaching.

 

Zac Crippen leads international expansion for Hallow, the #1 prayer app in the world. A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and the University of Oxford (where he was a Rhodes Scholar), Zac served as an active duty Air Force officer for seven years before embarking on a career in technology. Zac lives with his wife, Sally, and their five children on the outskirts of South Bend, Indiana. He is a grateful convert to the Catholic Church. 

 

Alex M. Plato is an Assistant Professor at Franciscan University of Steubenville and resides with his wife and children in the city of Steubenville, Ohio. Plato received a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies summa cum laude from Corban University (then Western Baptist College) in 2002. His interdisciplinary studies included several areas of concentration: music, theology, philosophy, literature, and education. In 2007, he earned a Master of Arts summa cum laude in the Philosophy of Religion and Ethics from Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology. In December of 2014, at Saint Louis University, he defended, with highest distinction, his dissertation “Anscombe on Double Effect and Absolutism: An Inquiry into Modern Moral Philosophy and Traditional Morality.” His work was directed by Dr. Gregory Beabout.

 

Marc Barnes is a father of three, the editor of New Polity magazine, and the president of the Harmonium Project, a nonprofit dedicated to urban revitalization and transformation in Steubenville, Ohio.

 

Jacob Imam is the founder of the College of St. Joseph the Worker and Executive Director of the Institute for Political Philosophy and Theology. He holds a doctorate in theology from the University of Oxford. His work focuses on the ethics of Christian investment and the theology of work. He lives in Steubenville with his wife, Alice, and sons, Blaise and Leo.

 

Reuben Slife is one of the editors of New Polity magazine. In addition to preparing several edited volumes for New Polity Press, he has an article forthcoming in Communio on David L. Schindler's Catholic understanding of America. He is also the president of the Poor Players of Steubenville, a theater company. Reuben lives in Steubenville, Ohio.


We’ve heard the question “What Should We Do?” enough times, now it’s our turn. What are you doing? On Thursday night, we’ll have mini presentations on what you’re doing—starting homesteads, divesting of 401k’s, winning political offices across America (well, not that yet).

Submit an application to make a short presentation below!


This year, we are excited to have a Gala dinner at Steubenville’s best Italian restaurant, Pastaio Cucina. Giuseppe and his wife Vincenza moved to Steubenville a couple years ago after he had won best chef in Pittsburgh's strip district. Enjoy an evening full of sensational food and company—and a joke or two from Marc—while we convince you to keep New Polity afloat. You can register here, and make sure to click the “Add Gala Option.”


Conference Map

Click here to view our custom Event Map (including venue locations, parking and food recommendations).

The conference will take place in downtown Steubenville, and Mass will be at St. Peter Catholic Church.


Schedule

Locations

Thursday, May 23

Doors Open 12.30p
Welcome 1.00p–1.30p Marc Barnes vs. Chat GPT
Panel 1 1.45p-3.15p Reuben Slife and D. C. Schindler | Technology As Such
Talk 1 3.30p-4.45p Alex Plato | Technopoly and Technocracy
Evening Prayer 4:45p-5:00p
Mini Presentations 7.00p Selected Presenters | New Polity On The Ground

Friday, May 24

Mass 8.00a St. Peter's Catholic Church | Optional for all participants
Doors Open8.45a
Morning Prayer 9:00a-9:15a
Talk 2 9.30a–11.00a Andrew Willard Jones | The Future is Always Worse than You Think it is Going to Be
Lunch 11.30a–1.00p
Talk 3 1.00p–2.30p Jacob Imam | Military and Financial Technology
Debate 3.00-4.30p Marc Barnes and Zac Crippen | Resolved: Prayer Apps Are Beneficial to the Spiritual Life
Evening Prayer 4:30p-4:45p
Social 7.00p

Saturday, May 25

Mass 8.00a St. Peter's Catholic Church | Optional for all participants
Doors Open8.30a
Morning Prayer 8:45a-9:00a
Keynote Address 9.00-10.00a Matthew Crawford
Interview 10.30-11.45a Marc Barnes and Matthew Crawford
Lunch 12.00-1.00p
Panel 3 1.30p–3.30p Andrew Willard Jones, D. C. Schindler, Jacob Imam, Marc Barnes, Matthew Crawford | Destroy the Servers?
Evening Prayer 3:30p-3:45p
Doors Close 4.00p
Gala Dinner 6.00p Pastaio Cucina, Wintersville | Additional registration required