Tech Philosophy: Optimism vs. Pessimism

Selected Views on Technology

• Technology can serve as a means to achieve an end
• Technology involves organizing techniques to fulfill various human needs
• The focus is on the final product
• Judgments on technology depend on the value, usage, and societal impact of the product

Technological Pessimism

• Technology is progressive, yet may be doubtful in certain aspects
• Technologies have permeated lifestyles
• Technique has created an inescapable framework, simplifying various tasks
• Jacques Ellul's pessimistic views on technology include:
  • Technological advancements come with a price
  • Progress introduces additional challenges
  • Progress generates harmful effects
  • Progress poses an unpredictable, devastating impact
• Some would argue his points of view are perceived as weak and not always valid

Technological Optimism

• Technology serves as a solution to all problems
• Technologists and engineers strongly advocate it
• Technocratism means there is utmost confidence in technology's authority
• Technology has benefits but can be dangerous

Existentialism

• Technology is a double-edged sword
• The essence of existence and decision-making are central
• Martin Heidegger supports existentialism

Martin Heidegger on Science and Technology

• Heidegger (1889-1996) questioned the essence of technology.
• Heidegger examined two definitions:
  • means to an end (instrumental)
  • human activity (anthropological)
• Heidegger found it misleading and limiting

Instrumental Definition of Technology

• Views technology across different eras without fundamental distinctions
• Older, handcrafted tech differs from more modern technologies
• Windmills as craftsmanship (poiesis) harness natural power for specific tasks in one location.
• Dams represent modern enframing technology, involving extensive infrastructure to generate energy from water.
• Considering instrumental definition raises these concerns:
  • Disregards the idea that tech can be both good and bad
  • Invites continuous ambition to control it, with the possibility of technology spiraling out of control

Aristotle’s Four Causes

• Incorporates the essence of technology through a silver chalice using Aristotle's Four Causes:
  • Causa Materialis (Material Cause): silver
  • Causa Formalis (Formal Cause): chalice's form or shape
  • Causa Finalis (Final Cause): chalice's purpose
  • Causa Efficiens (Efficient Cause): the silversmith
• Bringing forth is known as poiesis, which has a external force
• Something from nature as the force e.g. blooms from plants, is called physis

Types of Revealing

• Unconcealment or revelation requires causality with bringing forth and it is slower
• Challenging forth aligns with the more aggressive nature of modern technology
• Modern tech challenges nature to give treasures, technology positions the yields of nature for human use and makes it part of the standing reserve

Heidegger’s Way of Revealing Technology

• Genuine substance resides in enframing, exposing an element's functional capabilities
• Enframing is a continuous process of revelation
• Examples given compared ancient and modern tech such as:
  • Ancient windmill
  • Peasants planting seeds
  • Wooden bridge

Modern Tech Revealing

• It entails nature unveiling itself through challenges
• Resources are stockpiled for later use, contrasting with older methods like sawmills
• Modern tech unveils nature and puts it to the test to see what it will reveal

Essence of Tech

• Continuous disclosure comes as humans influence nature, argued by Heidegger (1977) as beyond human action alone
• Lies in enframing (Heidegger), where technology constantly uncovers nature's components and makes it a 'standing reserve' for human use
• As opposed to science, this is weak due to having to find new objects to extract, constantly

The perils of constant disclosure

• God becomes less of a mystery and takes away from the other things like wonders
• The world is only seen as a resource
• seeing yourself through the object and not the object clearly
• Society could become controlled by tech

The society in the face of science and technology

• Man tends to look for happiness in technologies

Heidegger’s Solutions

• Consider it's true worth not just how good it is
• Look pasts it use and toward it's effects
• Do not allow tech to override what makes us "us"
• Always keep the overall goal in mind, the overall reason for the goal itself

Human Flourishing

• Happiness can be defined as a mental/emotional state of being where people feel well being based on positive or pleasant thoughts that vary from joy to being content
• Happiness for behavioralists = a mix of feelings when good things are happening
• Neurologists interpret happiness as many hormones appearing in your brain that support actions that help you keep living

Happiness

• Pleasure is an illusion: having happiness means removing problems, to improve joy/decrease suffering (the journey)
• Eudaimonia: trying to becoem a better you by taking part in activities that improve you physically/mentally (A destination or acheivement)
• Happiness should balance both those ideals

Tech supports a path to happiness

• Enables development that aid human need
• Improving fun and enjoyment Technology offers routes for breaks from routine like film, games & trips Supports skills learned to build ones self from education, courses for skill building, and hard tasks Humans existance: Homo Sapiens are very sophisticated beings because they move with purpose, speak clearly, and stand up straight

About people from Aristotle's point of view

• Men use logic
• Have their live planned out like a story
• Made of things

What it means to spread as a human

• Make strides to become yourself and who are you
• Happens in all areas of life where people work together to grow
• You will keep growing every minute, you will learn to want more, you will fail and face pain

Aristotle's view point on excelling as an individual

• To exist is to have things you are good at in life or want to master
• Life is split spiritually from physical to encourage sound decision

Ways to gauge the health of an individual from Martin Seligman

• Try to have some form of optimism
• Become so focused that you and something else that both become together
• Hold people close and always care about one another
• Live outside yourself to encourage growth

Science , Technology , & Flourishing

  - With changes in Healthcare, there has been growth in lifespan

• Sadly risks also appear Degradation like environmental problems and some are in social isolation so they might be disconnected from people

Good life goals

• Use sharedd thoughts to create ideas for what is to come

Aristotle's explanation of what a healthy life is and how important it can change the world

• Life and world are meant to be observed and found new meanings for
• Earth is what we know, but potential is up to us

A study of what makes a good life

• Objects are made of stuff,
• People and everything are matter
• Our true calling was thought to be to have nothing

What the goal of life means to Hedonism

• Have the time of your life and do not regret it later
• Have as much fun all the time
• Do not think that the future will harm you later

How to be Stoic

• Unburden yourself of all things, remove yourself so you are unaffected
• Have sympathy, but be uncaring for most

The best existence in the eyes of a Theist

• The best life is achieved when you walk with your deity and understand your spirituality
• Communion and trust are the answers

What Humanism is

• Mankind dictates life without limitations
• Create their lives that they want
• Science and progress: We can grow beyond imagination, and change space to fit

Technology and Human Crossing

• Art is the discourse
• Gadgets are tools

Phones

• Mainly used to talk to people
• We can all touch a person because of services like text

Laptops

• The way some of us communicate

Robotic

• They do chores, and solve problems like help in the home clean
• An act of doing more then on task for people

Ethical Dilemmas

• It is always thought of weather one has the ability to compromise protection
• What makes conscious thinking , do machines deserve equality

What is good and bad in highly advanced Tech

• There so much info that can be shared and used
• Bio tech could make new things that are awful
• Do people want us playing with atoms that could cause harm?
• Machines can threaten and challenge a lot

About the moral side to advanced tech

• We can not change how one feels and if it has a social impact in one's life
• Control is always necessary

Human /Social life

• All of these connections change the entire globe
• Power source is great for advancement
• Getting materials across the world is much simpler

What to expect for our future

• All of these could cause new issues like weapons leading to much death if these "weapons" come to life
• They could be self replicating and dangerous if not managed

Paths to take in our future

• You could be transported in an altered world or virtual
• Or extend your life span tremendously, or build machinery that does things people have not thought about doing

What all those future actions may hold

• When tech and man merge together it could hold an answer the world needs
• What if the machine is more smart then us