Technology and religion have been at war for decades, or so everyone says. But maybe technology is just a part of the eternal search for humankind's lost divinity. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, historian David Noble on the religion of technology. Also, a dive into the spirit of computer culture. And a leap of faith with Douglas Adams and Terry Jones.

SEGMENT 1:

David Noble teaches history at York University in Toronto and is the author of "The Religion of Technology." He tells Judith Strasser that the modern technological enterprise is infused with the spirit of religion. He says we use technology to get closer to god. Also, Astro Teller is a computer scientist who deals with human beings' love/hate attitude towards smart machines in a novel called "Exegesis." Teller tells Steve Paulson that the story concerns artificial intelligence and a computer named Edgar.

SEGMENT 2:

Ellen Ullman is a softwear engineer and computer consultant. Her memoir is called "Close to the Machine: technophilia and its discontents." She tells Jim Fleming what it's like to work down in the trenches with the other weird logic dreamers.

SEGMENT 3:

Douglas Adams (infamous author of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy") has created a CD-ROM game called Starship Titanic. The game is stuck in development limbo, but it's been "novelized" by Monty Python member Terry Jones. Adams and Jones talk (and none too seriously!) about the project with Jim Fleming.

Distribution dates:

• week of 01/11/98 - hour 2
• week of 12/20/98 - hour 2