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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 techne 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.
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 techne 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.
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