The Metaphysics of Technology

David Skrbina (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

314 Seiten

2016
Routledge (Verlag)
978-1-138-24002-5 (ISBN)

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What is technology? Why does it have such power in our lives? Why does it seemingly progress of its own accord, and without regard to social or environmental well-being? The quest for the essence of technology is an old one, with roots in the pre-Socratic philosophy of ancient Greece. It was then that certain thinkers first joined the ideas of technê and logos into a single worldview. The Greeks saw it as a kind of world-force, present in both the works of men and in nature itself. It was the very creative power of the cosmos. In the 20th century, German thinkers like Dessauer, Juenger, and Heidegger sought the metaphysical basis of technology, with varying success. French theologian Jacques Ellul argued persuasively that technology was an autonomous force of nature that determined all aspects of human existence, but he neglected the metaphysical underpinnings. Recent writers in the philosophy of technology have generally eschewed metaphysics altogether, preferring to concentrate on constructivist models or pragmatic analyses. In the present work, Skrbina returns to a classic metaphysical approach, seeking not so much an essence of technology but rather a deep and penetrating analysis of the entire technological phenomenon. Drawing on the Greeks, he argues for a teleological metaphysics in which increasing order in the universe is itself defined as a technological process. On this reading, all of reality constitutes a technical sphere, a "pantechnikon," of universal scope. This work — the first-ever book-length treatment of the topic — breaks new ground by providing an in-depth and critical study of the metaphysics of technology, as well as drawing out the practical consequences. Technology poses significant risks to humanity and the planet, risks that can be mitigated through a detailed philosophical analysis.

David Skrbina, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Michigan at Dearborn.

Introduction Part I: Metaphysis 1. Situating Technology 2. Technê, Logos, Theos 3. Cause, Teleology, and Transcendence 4. Technology and Cosmic Evolution 5. German Metaphysical Insights: Dessauer, Juenger, Heidegger 6. Borgmann’s "Critical" Metaphysics Part II: Praxis 7. Classical Critiques: Glimpses of the Pantechnikon 8. Recent Critiques: 1900 to Present 9. The Case for Technological Determinism 10. Replies and Refutations 11. Three Case Studies 12. Technology and Human Destiny. Epilogue

Erscheinungsdatum	21.01.2017
Reihe/Serie	Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought
Zusatzinfo	1 Line drawings, black and white; 1 Illustrations, black and white
Verlagsort	London
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 229 mm
Gewicht	430 g
Themenwelt	Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Metaphysik / Ontologie
	Naturwissenschaften
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie ► Allgemeines / Lexika
	Technik
ISBN-10	1-138-24002-8 / 1138240028
ISBN-13	978-1-138-24002-5 / 9781138240025
Zustand	Neuware