Abstract

Hope is a complex notion currently attracting a notable degree of scholarly and public attention. In particular, technological and scientific progress is frequently viewed as located somewhere on a continuum between hope and despair. Considering the many ways in which technology and hope are interlinked, in the present article I propose to look at how the latter should be understood in the digital age. In the first part of the analysis, the definition of hope will be discussed. To draw valid conclusions, notions like utopia and optimism will also be taken into account. In the second part, I consider whether the digital space should be thought of as an environment providing conditions for the enhancement of hope—or, rather, for its reduction. In the third part, the notion of “hoping beyond the human” is analyzed in relation to the debate over “sentient” machines and the psychological changes humans undergo in digital spaces. The article is meant to serve as an addition to current publications on hope, given that the focus of the latter is usually on debates surrounding humanism and/or political power. It also aims to demonstrate the necessity of paying critical attention to hope itself within the context of an understanding of technological progress.