Module 4: The Human Person Flourishing in Science & Technology PDF

FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020 Study Guide in GE 6: Science, Technology, and Society Module No. 4 STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 4 THE HUMAN PERSON FLOURISHING IN TERMS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND T...

FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020 Study Guide in GE 6: Science, Technology, and Society Module No. 4 STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 4 THE HUMAN PERSON FLOURISHING IN TERMS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY AS A WAY OF REVEALING MODULE OVERVIEW Technology has been viewed in varying ways across time. The ancient Greek philosophers viewed technology as something which imitates products of nature or completes what nature cannot. Aristotle viewed technology as a means to an end, a way to accomplish a goal. Some philosophers and historians view technology positively, some negatively, while some view technology as neither. In this lesson, we will look into the concept of progress and flourishing of human lives and society in terms of science and technology, and we look into the essence of technology and the relationship between humans and technology according to the philosopher Martin Heidegger from his work The Question Concerning Technology, a lecture he delivered in 1953 to the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts published the year after. Through looking at the contents of his work, we will pick up on his idea on how one could approach technology, have a much better understanding of technology in another perspective, and enrich our understanding of technology. MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES At the end of this Module, you must have achieved the following: Analyze the human condition in order to deeply reflect and express philosophical ramifications that are meaningful to the student as a part of society. A BACKGROUND ON MARTIN HEIDEGGER Martin Heidegger, born in Messkirch, Germany, on September 26, 1889, is a German philosopher hailed for his works in existentialism, hermeneutics, and phenomenology. He first studied theology, but switched to philosophy in 1911. Influences of his philosophy were Aristotle, Kant, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Dilthey, and Husserl. Among his works were Being and Time, published in 1927, which was an important work in European Philosophy and refers on his philosophy of being and existence. By 1930s to 1940s, there was a supposed change in his type of work, which mainly focused on poetry and technology. During this time, he wrote The Question Concerning Technology, published in 1954. Heidegger died in 1976 in Freiburg. To have a better picture of the life and philosophy of Heidegger, you may want to watch the video PHILOSOPHY - Heidegger (_____ [The School of Life]. (2014, September 10). PHILOSOPHY - Heidegger [Video]. YouTube. from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br1sGrA7XTU). HUMAN FLOURISHING It defines human flourishing as achieving self-actualization and fulfillment according to Aristotle. Human flourishing is the process of developing the person's capacities, strengths and virtues in the different areas of life*. It is a conscious process that responds to personal convictions, purpose and actions and it is interrelated with the conditions of its social and environmental context. According to Bandarlipe, et al. (2019), the following are some characteristics of human flourishing: 1. All humans aim to flourish. 2. Human flourishing involves putting into action one’s capacities, capabilities, and virtues. 3. Human flourishing depends on free will. 4. Human flourishing is sustained over time. 5. Human flourishing involves doing well in broad domains of human life. Humans have attained certain progress that we lacked before. Mortality rates are lowered due to less death due to diseases and childbirth. Life spans have increased because of better medical care and health conditions. Literacy rates also increased through better access to education and more alternatives or modes PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 1  FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020 Study Guide in GE 6: Science, Technology, and Society Module No. 4 of learning. Productivity has also increased, though differing in levels in many countries, which increased food supply and income of families. However, determining the ways on how to attain a flourishing human life is not an easy endeavor, especially in the context of science and technology. Though, as from previous lessons, we have learned that science and technology are instrumental in human flourishing, some may say that overdependence to the point in deifying science may pose a threat to human flourishing. INSTRUMENTAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL VIEW OF TECHNOLOGY The progress of science and technology is similar to the progress of human civilization: as man flourishes, so does science and technology. However, in the pursuit of progress, man may acquire, consume, or destroy, unknowingly or not, things that he or she should not. Thus, in order to appreciate the benefits that humans get from science and technology, we must examine not only their utility or use but their greater impact on humanity as a whole. Martin Heidegger, in his work The Question of Technology, aimed to characterize technology and how humans relate to it. He argued the importance of understanding the essence of technology because no matter what we do, we will always be intertwined with technology. He began his work by discussing how we usually understand technology. According to Heidegger, technology is commonly understood as both a means to an end (an instrumental characterization of technology) and a human activity (an anthropological characterization of technology). For Heidegger, these two notions of technology are intertwined. He said that this characterization of technology is correct, even for both traditional and modern technology, but may not the whole truth. However, it is important to note that knowing what is “correct” may lead to the “truth”. He asserted that “the essence of technology is by no means anything technological,” the running theme of his essay. He also asserted that the notion that technology is neutral is an important idea to dispel. To better understand the instrumental and anthropological definitions of technology, read pages 1 – 2 of Heidegger’s work through the link: https://www2.hawaii.edu/~freeman/courses/phil394/The%20Question%20Concerning%20Technology.pdf After reading, reflect on the questions below. 1. According to Heidegger, “the essence of technology is by no means anything technological.” What does he mean by this statement? 2. Why is it important to veer away from the notion that technology is neutral? 3. Describe or illustrate the instrumental and anthropological definitions of technology. THE FOUR CAUSES AND THE CONCEPT OF POIESIS To have a better understanding of what technology is when it is seen as a means to an end, he delved in the question of causality. He used the ancient Greek’s way of looking at causality to initially determine the essence of technology. In his work, he discussed what we mean of cause by using the concept of the four causes: (1) causa materialis, the material by which something is made up of; (2) causa formalis, the form of the material that makes it what it is; (3) causa finalis, the purpose of the thing; and (4) causa efficiens, the one which caused for the thing to be formed. He used a silver chalice to illustrate the four causes: the chalice came about because of the silver (causa materialis), the form of the chalice (causa formalis), and because there is a need to use a silver chalice for some purpose, like religious traditions (causa finalis) It is commonly thought that the silversmith, the one which made the chalice is the causa efficiens. To learn more about the four causes, you may watch the video Aristot;le’s Four Causes (undefined [Hillsdale College]. (2022, May 16). Aristotle’s Four Causes | Highlights Ep.43 [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdEzyA2HGnY) These four causes are deemed to be responsible of bringing forth something. This bringing forth is termed poiesis. Poeisis is the process of emergence of something that did not previously exist. It has two forms: PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 2  FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020 Study Guide in GE 6: Science, Technology, and Society Module No. 4 bringing-forth through an external influence or poeisis and bringing-forth that occurs naturally. Heidegger characterized poiesis as a kind of unveiling, or a way of revealing. In Greek, revealing is Aletheia, which can be translated as “truth”. Aletheia is the negation of the verb lath, to cover over. Thus, for Heidegger, truth means the uncovering of beings and untruth would be the covering over of beings. To learn more on how the concept of poiesis relates to the essence of technology, read pages 3 to 5 of your assigned reading and answer the following questions. 1. How did Heidegger connect the essence of technology with the concept of poiesis? 2. How do the concepts of technology, knowledge, and truth relate to one another? THE ESSENCE OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY AND THE CONCEPT OF ENFRAMING By this point, the essence of technology was described in a general way. However, according to Heidegger, modern technology is different since its way of bringing forth is not the same as that of poiesis, since the bringing-forth of modern technology may not be as harmonious as pre-modern technology. The bringing- forth is more of a challenging forth. Heidegger described modern technology as the age of switches, standing reserve, and stockpiling for its own sake. Humans now view objects for their future potential. A river is now viewed as a source of energy, and not a river in itself. Humans are viewed for what they can do and not for who they are. Modern technology leads to the abandonment of our uniqueness and form. Because of this behavior of man, the attitude of enframing arises. It is as if nature is viewed as calculable and orderable, is put in a box so that it can be better understood and controlled according to people’s desires. When we enframe nature, we manipulate or control it, which might lead to negative impacts. To better understand the difference between the essence of modern technology and pre-modern technology, the concept of challenging forth, and the concept of enframing, read pages 6 to 11 of your assigned reading and reflect on the following questions: 1. Illustrate, through an example, how modern technology “challenges forth” and pre-modern technology “brings forth”. 2. What does the term “standing reserve” mean? In the context of modern technology, can humans be considered as standing reserve? Why or why not? 3. What was Heidegger’s view regarding the relationship between modern science and modern technology? Does it fit with the common notion that technology is an application of science? Why or why not? THE DANGERS OF TECHNOLOGY By now you should have understood the concept of enframing how this orientation destines humans to view nature as standing reserve which results to modern technology. Technology will become dangerous if we let ourselves be consumed or controlled by it. This does not lie on the products of technology, but by its essence itself. According to Heidegger, the danger lies “with the possibility that it could be denied to him to enter into a more original revealing and hence to experience the call of a more primal truth”. If we try to enframe technology, we block poiesis; that is, we fail to appreciate the beauty of technology and their development since we only see them according to how they are used and the linear progression of their development. To avoid this danger, however, it would be impractical to reject technology. Not using technology will not enable us to see the truth that it reveals. It is important to realize that by understanding the essence of technology, this opens the opportunity for a new way on how to view the world. When we reorient ourselves, we will have a better relationship with technology. To better understand the dangers of technology, read pages 12 to 17 of your assigned reading and reflect on following questions: 1. Heidegger asserted that the danger of technology lie within its essence itself. Give some concrete examples on what Heidegger believed to be the dangers of technology. 2. In your own understanding, what are the particular dangers inherent in technology today? 3. How does your own concept of the dangers of technology compare with that of Heidegger’s? ART AS THE SAVING POWER PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 3  FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020 Study Guide in GE 6: Science, Technology, and Society Module No. 4 Now that you have realized the dangers of technology and that we can do something about this, how can we be free from these dangers? According to Heidegger, if the danger of technology lies in its essence, the way out of these dangers is also through its essence. Since technology is a way of revealing, Heidegger suggests that art is a way out enframing. Why art? Remember that in enframing, we usually use calculative thinking, a way of thinking which involves ordering and systematizing nature so one can better understand it. Calculative thinking avoids unpredictability, which is what humans usually prefer or use. However, in art, we usually employ meditative thinking, a way of thinking which allows nature to reveal itself to us without forcing it. Through meditative thinking, one will think of the significance of technology more than its utility. This is when we see the beauty of nature itself. Heidegger concluded his work by saying that “questioning is the piety of thought.” Piety, according to Heidegger, means obedience and submission. He said that through questioning, we gain understanding of what we are in the greater scheme of things and what modern technology has brought us. Through questioning, we build the way of knowing the truth of who we are in the world. To better understand the relationship between art and technology and why questioning is very important in avoiding the dangers of technology, read pages 12 to 14 of your assigned reading and reflect on the following questions: 1. How did Heidegger relate the term techne and art? Why is this relationship important to understand? 2. How does Heidegger characterize art in his work? How does it differ from your concept of what art is? 3. When Heidegger suggests that art is the way to avoid the dangers of technology, does he mean that man should become artists? Why or why not? SUMMARY The following learning points summarize what you have learned in this section: Technology can be defined instrumentally (manufacturing and utilizing equipment, tools, and machines, the things themselves, and the needs and ends these things serve) and anthropologically (positing ends and procuring and utilizing the means to them). However, Heidegger believed that though this must be correct, it does not necessarily mean it is true. Technology is a mode of revealing, for it is a way to reveal truth that is more meaningful than the superficial or practical use of technology. According to Heiddeger, technology is a poiesis that discloses the truth. For modern technology, the bringing forth may not be as harmonious, because the resources are taken from nature forcibly and the demand of people are never-ending. Thus, revealing has no end since everything is on-demand. Instead of working harmoniously with nature, we control it. It is through enframing that modern technology reveals. This leads to the dangers of technology. According to Heidegger, art is a way out enframing. Art leads us from calculative to meditative thinking, and we will be able to see the beauty of technology. REFERENCES Heidegger, M. (1977). The Question Concerning Technology. In The Question Concerning Technology and Other Essays. (pp. 3-36). New York, NY: Harper and Row Publishers, Inc. Retrieved from https://www2.hawaii.edu/~freeman/courses/phil394/The%20Question%20Concerning%20Technology.pdf Quinto, Edward Jay M. and Nieva, Aileen D. (2019). Science, Technology, and Society. pp 62-80. Quezon City: C&E Publishing. PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 4