Philosophy of Technology

Philosophy and Technology

• Technology was formally recognized as a field of philosophy around 30 years ago.
• Philosophers have studied technology since the time of the ancient Greeks.

Plato

• Distinguished between concrete/effective knowledge and ethical/political knowledge.
• Acknowledged different kinds of knowledge.
• Techne refers to crafts knowledge or practical activities.
• Etymology of "technology" is techne + logy.

Aristotle

• Focused on theoretical vs practical and productive knowledge.

Time Periods of Philosophy

• Ancient
• Medieval
• Modern
• Contemporary

Modern Era - 16th Century: Francis Bacon

• Emphasized technology's role in experimental knowledge.
• Believed technology could aid in experimentation.

19th Century: Technocratic Society

• Henri de Saint Simon and August Comte were technocratic society thinkers.
• Argued technology wasn't just an aid to science; it could help society move forward alongside science.

Karl Marx

• Focused on capitalism, the industrial period, and labor alienation.
• Observed that workers felt disconnected from their work, lacked control over production, and were alienated from their true potential.

Val Dusek: Why Philosophy of Technology Took So Long

• Technology was mainly viewed as applied science.
• Technology was seen as an unalloyed benefit and largely unproblematic.
• Science would be blamed if technology caused problems.

Romantic Tradition

• Technology was considered an interest by some novelists and poets.
• Technology was seen as an antagonist of the romantic world.

World War II: Martin Heidegger

• Philosophers began noticing the problems of technology.

Philosophy of Technology Involves Various Schools of Thought

• Has connections with philosophy of science, ethics, political science, aesthetics, etc.
• The thinkers involved had difficulty agreeing and often talked about technology from their own perspectives.
• The Continental-Analytic divide between European and Anglo-American philosophy further complicated the discussion.
• Continental philosophy is more creative and emphasizes interpretation, while analytical philosophy favors scientific methods.

Contributions to Philosophy of Technology

• Contributions come from different schools of thought without much connection to each other.
• These contributions dismiss German and French philosophy.
• It aims to frame technology under one field.
• Martin Heidegger's "Question Concerning Technology" encouraged treating each other's ideas with respect.

Different Schools for Philosophy of Science

• Philosophy of Science with Don Ihde's instrumental realism.
• Phenomenology with Martin Heidegger, focusing on present-to-hand and ready-at-hand.
• Present-to-hand exists on its own.
• Ready-to-hand exists for one's own interest.
• Marxism/Critical theory views everything as a result of human intervention.
• Social constructivism emphasizes human contributions to developing constructive knowledge.
• Pragmatism evaluates claims based on outcomes.

What is Philosophy of Technology?

• It examines technology's nature, significance, and implications in society
• It emphasizes self-awareness of technology's role and influence on human experiences, societal values, and cultural norms.

Philosophy of Science vs. Philosophy of Technology

• Philosophy of Science: Concerned with truth, validity of theories, and experimentation.
• Philosophy of Technology: Focuses on issues in the theory of knowledge (epistemological issues).
• Both rely on rational and empirical observation and causality.

Differences in Purpose

• Science seeks to discover the truth about the natural world, while technology aims for usefulness in serving human needs.
• Science focuses on understanding, while technology focuses on producing something that works effectively.

Relationship Between Science and Technology

• Scientific discoveries can lead to technological advancements, and technological progress can influence scientific inquiries.
• The discovery of electricity led to electric circuits and power grids, and telescopes allowed us to observe distant galaxies.

Feenberg's Claim on the Foundation of Philosophy of Technology

• Modern Ideology
  • Physis (Nature) - existence/essence
  • Poiesis (activity of making)
    • Techne: a discipline associated with poiesis with purpose and meaning in every artifact, with a difference of existence and essence

Plato's Philosophy

• There exists a physical world (existence) and a world of forms (essence).

Contemporary Views of Philosophy of Technology

• Technology is viewed as neutral, autonomous, or humanly controlled:
  • Neutral: Value of efficiency.
  • Autonomous: Determinism (technology controls humans).
  • Humanly Controlled:
    • Instrumentalism (serves subjective purposes)
    • Critical theory (recognizes dangers but believes they can be controlled).

Plato on Dialectic and Techne

• Being is existence in nature, while becoming is constant change.

Education is a Craft

• It turns souls toward the truth.

Subjects To Study

• Calculations: To understand the nature of things and reasoning.
• Geometry: Study of what always is/being.
• Unnamed Subject (solids): Deals with volume/matter.
• Astrology vs. Astronomy:
  • Astrology relies on human perception.
  • Astronomy studies heavenly bodies.
• Harmonics: Study of what is beautiful and good beyond hearing.

Bacon on the Idols of the Mind

• Defines philosophy of innovation.

Ways of Discovery

• Artless: Accepting knowledge as is.
• Dialecticians: Hampering discovery for new things.
• By Experience: Through experimentation and chance.

Significance of Innovation

• Innovators are given divine honor and significance due to praise.
• Reasons for innovation include personal power, national advancement, and the desire to exert man's power over the universe.

Omens in the Nature of Time

• Passing time: Gives way to knowledge conducive environments.
• One's Age: Greater knowledge is expected.
• Opportunities for inventions can arise by chance.

Four Idols of the Mind

• Tribe: Lies in human nature; false belief that human senses are perfect.
• Cave: Lies in each individual; personal biases.
• Marketplace: Lies in associations with people; miscommunication.
• Theatre: Dogmatic philosophies that create false ideas.

Solomon's House

• Envisions an ideal democratic society using science for new acceptance of truth.

Reformation of Education

• Focuses on places of learning, books, and persons (lecturers/experts).

Defects of the Education

• Neoliberal education: Acts as businesses, market-driven learning with insufficient resources and a lack of state support.
• Lacks support for bridging European Universities and lacks qualified experts for new disciplines.

Marx and the Modern Labor Process: Material

• Labor, in its most basic form, is a process where both humans and nature engage. In this process, humans intentionally initiate, regulate, and oversee the interactions between themselves and the natural world.
• Labor is unique to humans.

Factors of The Labour-Process

• The Subject of Labor
• Instruments of Labor
• The Personal Activity of Man
  • Use-value: based on utility

The German Ideology and Marxist Materialism

• Mode of production defines general life processes (social, political, intellectual).
• Social existence determines consciousness, not the other way around.

On Authority

• Engels explored the development of authoritarian power, considering if it will disappear or change form.
• Explores the dawn of technological authoritarianism.

Heidegger and the Question Concerning Technology: Material

• The essence of a thing is what the thing is
• To question technology, we must ask what it is

Current Conceptions of Technology

• Technology is a means to an end
• Technology is a human activity
• Heidegger says these definitions do not capture the essence of technology

Examining the Instrumental and Four Causes

• To find the essence of technology, we must examine the instrumental conception

Aristotle's 4 Causes

• Material, is what something is made of
• Heidegger argued not necessary, but a cause for a thing.

Poiesis and the Bringing-Forth

• "Coming into unconcealment resting freely within revealing."

Essence of Technology

• The answer is: everything