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The Question Concerning Technology Technology is a mode of revealing by Martin Heidegger (bringing forth) Two statements that answer our Technology comes to presence in the question realm where revealing and...

The Question Concerning Technology Technology is a mode of revealing by Martin Heidegger (bringing forth) Two statements that answer our Technology comes to presence in the question realm where revealing and unconcealment 1. Technology is a means to an end take place, where aletheia, truth happens. (instrumental) 2. Technology is a human activity Techne: skill (technique) (anthropological) "techne belongs to bringing forth to poisis; it is something poetic” Instrumentum: tools or aids Essence Of Technology When we discover technology’s essence, - Technology’s essence reveals we discover the commonality that all aletheia (truth) technology shares. - Enframing is the essence of modern technology Wherever there is effect, there is cause. Then: Man brings forth 3 claims Now: Man challenges forth 1. Technology is “not an instrument”, it is a way of understanding the As we exist in the world, we meet world different challenges, experiences which 2. Technology is “not a human results to being a human being. activity”, but develops beyond human control For us to flourish, we need to understand 3. Technology is “the highest danger”, the purpose of life and existence. risking us to only see the world through technology thinking All of humanity must be flourished collectively. Everything depends on our manipulating technology in the proper manner as a Martin Heidegger means for centuries philosophy. - prose in his masterpiece Being and Time, which is filled with complex For centuries philosophy has taught that compound German words like there are four causes. 'Seinsvergessenheit' (meaning of 1. Causa materialis: the material our lives), 'Bodenständigkeit' (the - The matter out of which sicknesses of our time) and 2. Causa formulis: the form 'Wesensverfassung' (the routes to - The shape into which the material freedom). enters 3. Causa finalis: the end - The final effect and the reason of why it is made 4. Causa efficiens: the process - which brings about the effect that is the finished He diagnosed modern humanity as journey away from suffering from a number of diseases of 'Uneigentlichkeit' to 'Eigentlichkeit' the soul. (from Inauthenticity to 1. We have forgotten to notice we're alive. Authenticity). We will, in essence, Being: german word das Sein start to live for ourselves. - we come up against the uncanny - We merely surrender to a strangeness of everything: why socialized, superficial mode of things exist as they do, why we are being he called 'they-self' (as here rather than there, why the opposed to 'our-selves'). We follow world is like it is. The Chatter ('das Gerede'), which - What we're running away from is a we hear about in the newspapers, confrontation with the opposite of on TV and in the large cities Being, what Heidegger called: 'das Heidegger hated to spend time in. Nichts' (The Nothing). - What will help us to pull away from 2. We have forgotten that all beings are the 'they-self' is an appropriately connected. intense focus on our own upcoming - We treat others and nature as death. It's only when we realize means and not as ends. that other people cannot save us - Heidegger termed 'the Unity of from 'das Nichts' that we're likely Being' - all in existence right now to stop living for them. and are fundamentally united by - When in a lecture, in 1961, the basic fact of our common Heidegger was asked how we Being. should better lead our lives,he - Heidegger wants us to use our replied tersely that we should memories as the springboard to a simply aim to spend more time 'in deeper form of generosity, an graveyards'. overcoming of alienation and egoism and a more profound What is a Human Being? appreciation of the brief time that Martin Heidegger established two things remains to us before 'das Nichts' about "Being" or claims us in turn. "DASEIN": 3. We forget to be free and to live for 1. Dasein is to exist in this world. ourselves. 2. Dasein has a self that defines as it exist - Much about us isn't very free. in such world. (Purpose) - We are 'thrown into the world' at the start of our lives. The Aristotle: The Father of Virtue Ethics philosopher wants to help us to - The highest goal of humanity is the overcome this Thrownness: good life or "human flourishing" german word Geworfenheit by (eudaimonia, happiness). understanding it. - Developing virtues is the way to - We need to grasp our achieve a rich and satisfying life. psychological, social and - Virtues make us good professional provincialism - and persons—and help us live a good then rise above it to a more life. universal perspective. In doing so, we'll make the classic Heideggerian Happiness In psychology, happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being which can be defined by, among others, positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. To behaviorists, happiness is a cocktail of emotions we experience when we do something good or positive. To neurologists, happiness is the experience of a flood of hormones released in the brain as a reward for behavior that prolongs survival. The hedonistic view of well-being is that happiness is the polar opposite of suffering; the presence of Eudaimonia happiness indicates the absence of "good spirited" pain. Because of this, hedonists Coined by Aristotle believe that the purpose of life is to Describes the pinnacle of happiness that maximize happiness, which is attainable by humans. minimizes misery. "human flourishing" Eudaimonia: greek words eu (good) and daimon (spirit) to describe the ideology. Eudaimonia defines happiness as the pursuit of becoming a better person. Eudaimonists do this by challenging themselves intellectually or by engaging in activities that make them spiritually richer people. Nicomachean Ethics (philosophical inquiry into the nature of the good life for a human being.) - human flourishing arises as a result of different components such as Phronesis Friendship Wealth Power Phronesis - The habit of making the right decisions and taking the right actions in context, and relentless pursuit of excellence for the common good. Epicureans View on Happiness The Will to Power - His theory is about the real source - Beyond Darwin: Life is not just of Happiness is to experience it. about survival, life is about - He agrees with the ethical doctrine flourishing. which claims PLEASURE is the - transforming your environment into norm of morality - Hedonism. a place where you and your kind can flourish - Not just physically, but culturally, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually - VALUES again. In ancient Greek society, they believe that acquiring these will surely bring the seekers happiness, which in effect allows them to partake in the greater notion of what we call the Good. As time changes, elements that comprise human flourishing changed. The revaluation of all values People found means to live more (Nietzsche’s View) comfortably, explore more places, develop - Philosophers have tried for more products, and make more money. centuries to pin down a hard, solid grounding for knowledge, looking Humans of today are expected to become for absolute certainties. "man of the world" - Nietzsche was cynical about this - he suggested we largely accept Supposed to situate himself in a global and believe what is valuable to us, neighborhood, working side by side our society, our species. among institutions and the government to - Value comes before truth. Or be able to reach a common goal. rather 'truth' is only valued if it is useful, and what is useful will be Competition as a means of survival has taken as 'truth'. become passé. - The pursuit of truth for truth's sake may lead us into nihilism - since Coordination is the new trend. the ultimate nature of reality is irrational, unknowable and meaningless without subjective interpretation - NOT relativism, but perspectivism - not all perspectives are of equal value.  VERIFICATION THEORY Eastern Western Conception Conception - A discipline is science if it can be confirmed or interpreted in the - focus is - more focused on event of an alternative hypothesis community-centric the individual being accepted. - individual should - human - Premium on empiricism sacrifice himself flourishing as an - Take into account those results for the sake of end society - Aristotelian view which are measurable and - Chinese - Aims for experiments which are repeatable. Confucian system eudaimonia as the - Japanese ultimate good Vienna Circle Bushido - group of scholars who believed that - Encourage only those which can be observed studies of should be regarded as meaningful, literature, sciences, and art and reject those which cannot be for a greater cause directly accessed as meaningless. FALSIFICATION THEORY Science, Technology and Human As long as an ideology is not proven to Flourishing be false and can best explain a Every discovery, innovation, and success phenomenon over alternative theories, we contributes to our pool of human should accept the said ideology. knowledge. Allowed emergence of theories Human's perpetual need to locate otherwise rejected by the verification himself in the world by finding proofs to theory. trace evolution. Encourages research in order to Elicits our idea of self-importance determine which among the theories can stand the test of falsification. Heidegger: “Technology is a human activity we excel in as a result of Karl Popper achieving science.” - aim at the production of new, falsifiable predictions Good is inherently related to the truth - scientific practice is characterized by its continual effort to test theories against Science as Methods and Results experience and make revisions based on Science stems from objectivity brought the outcomes of these tests upon by a rigid method Claim to reason and empiricism There is no known rule as to the number of instances that a theory is rejected or Steps in Scientific Method falsified in order for it to be set aside. 1. Observe 2. Determine the Problem There is no assurance that observable 3. Formulate hypothesis events or "evidences" are indeed 4. Conduct experiment manifestations of a certain concept or 5. Gather and analyze "theories". 6. Formulate conclusion and provide recommendation Aristotle What is eudaimonia? - Ancient Greek philosopher - greek word eu (good) and daimon - Known for his natural philosophy, (spirit) logic and political theory - refers to the good life marked by - one of the greatest thinkers in the happiness and excellence. history of western science and - flourishing life filled with philosophy, making contributions to meaningful endeavors that logic, metaphysics, mathematics, empower the human person to be physics, biology, botany, ethics, the best version of himself/herself. politics, agriculture, medicine, dance and theater. Aristotle's View of Good Life - first to classify areas of human - The activity of the soul in knowledge into distinct disciplines accordance with virtue. such as mathematics, biology, and - Believed that "good" for humans is ethics. the maximum realization of what - founder of the Lyceum, the first was unique to humans. scientific institute, based in Athens, - The good for humans was to Greece. reason well. - one of the strongest advocates of a - The task of reason was to teach liberal arts education, which humans how to act virtuously, and stresses the education of the whole the exercise of faculties in person, includingone's moral accordance with virtue. character, rather than merely learning a set of skills. Virtues - behavior showing high moral Nicomachean Ethics 2:2 standards. All human activities aim at some good. - "paragons of virtue" Every art and human inquiry, and similarly synonyms: goodness, virtuousness, every action and pursuit, is thought to aim righteousness, morality, ethicalness, at some good; and for this reason the uprightness, upstandingness, integrity, good has been rightly declared as that at dignity, rectitude, honesty, honorableness, which all things aim. honorability, honor, incorruptibility, probity, propriety, decency, respectability, Aristotle: “The aim of art is to represent nobility, nobility of soul/spirit, nobleness, not the outward appearance or things, but worthiness, worth, good, trustworthiness, their inward significance.” meritoriousness, irreproachableness, blamelessness, purity, pureness, lack of What is meant by a good life? corruption, merit; principles, high - living in comfort and luxury with principles, ethics few problems or worries. - "the simple virtue and integrity of - characterized by happiness from peasant life" living and doing well content Nicomachean Ethics 2:1 - it is more like the ultimate value of - Virtue, then, being of two kinds, your life as lived up to this intellectual and moral moment, measuring how well you - Intellectual virtue in the main owes have lived up to your full potential its birth and growth in teaching ( as a human being. for its reason it requires experience and time). Science and Technology and Good Life - Moral virtue comes about as a - S&T is also the movement towards result of habit. a good life. - S&T are one of the highest expressions of human faculties. Intellectual Moral Virtue Virtue - S&T allow us to thrive and flourish if we desire - theoretical - practical wisdom - S&T may corrupt a person wisdom (thinking (ability to make - S&T with virtue can help an and truth) right judgment) individual to be out of danger. - practical wisdom - owed its understanding. development to - experience and how one nurtured Why is it that everyone is in the time are necessary it as a habit. pursuit of a good life? requirements for - can be learned Ernest Agyemang Yeboah the development - "Life is good! It is only our of intellectual thoughts, choices and actions virtue towards the situations we meet in life each moment of time that Happiness to Aristotle makes life look bad! The same bad - "Happiness depends on ourselves." situation in life that makes one - Central purpose of human life and person think badly inspires another a goal in itself. to do a noble thing! The same good - Depends on the cultivation of situation in life that makes one virtue. person feel so good to get into a - A genuinely happy life required the bad situation inspires another fulfillment of a broad range of person to create another good conditions, including physical as situation because of the good well as mental well-being. situation. It is all about thoughts, choices and actions! Happiness as the Ultimate Purpose of - “Life is good! Live it well!" Human Existence - happiness is a final end or goal that encompasses the totality of one's life. - it is not something that can be gained or lost in a few hours, like pleasurable sensations.