Only recently has the phenomenon of technology become an object of in terest for philosophers. The first attempts at a philosophy of technology date back scarcely a hundred years - a span of time extremely short when com pared with the antiquity of philosophical reflections on nature, science, and society. Over that hundred-year span, speculative, critical, and empiricist approaches of various sorts have been put forward. Nevertheless, even now there remains a broad gap between the importance of technology in the real world and the sparse number of philosophical works dedicated to the under standing of modern technology. As a result of the complex structure of modern technology, it can be dealt with in very different ways. These range from metaphysical exposition to efforts aimed at political consensus. Quite naturally, within such a broad range, certain national accents can be discovered-; they are shaped by a com mon language, accepted philosophical traditions, and concrete problems requiring consideration. Even so, the worldwide impact of technology, its penetration into all spheres of individual, social, and cultural life, together with the urgency of the problems raised in this context - all these demand a joint philosophical discussion that transcends the barriers of language and cultural differences. The papers printed here are intended to exemplify such an effort at culture-transcending philosophical discussion."

The highly sophisticated techniques of modern engineering are normally conceived of in practical terms. Corresponding to the instrumental function of technology, they are designed to direct the forces of nature according to human purposes. Yet, as soon as the realm of mere skills is exceeded, the intended useful results can only be achieved through planned and preconceived action processes involving the deliberately considered application of well designed tools and devices. This is to say that in all complex cases theoretical reasoning becomes an indispensable means to accomplish the pragmatic technological aims. Hence the abstracting from the actual concrete function of technology opens the way to concentrate attention on the general conceptual framework involved. If this approach is adopted the relevant knowledge and the procedures applied clearly exhibit a logic of their own. This point of view leads to a methodological and even an epistemological analysis of the theoretical structure and the specific methods of procedure characteristic of modern technology. Investigations of this kind, that can be described as belonging to an ana lytical philosophy of technology, form the topic of this anthology. The type of research in question here is closely akin to that of the philosophy of science. But it is an astonishing fact that the commonly accepted and carefully investigated philosophy of science has not yet found its counterpart in an established philosophy of technology."

Friedrich Rapp, in this magisterial and critical essay on technology, the complex human phenomenon that demands philosophy of science, philosophy of culture, moral insight, and historical sensi tivity for its understanding, writes modestly of the grave and ten tative situation in the philosophy of technology. Despite the pro found thinkers who have devoted time and imagination and ratio nal penetration, despite the massive literature now available, the varied and comparative viewpoints of political, analytic, despite metaphysical, cultural, even esthetic commitments, indeed despite the honest joining of historical and systematic methods of inves tigation, we are far from a satisfactory understanding of the joys and sorrows, the achievements and disappointments, of the tech nological saga of human societies. Professor Rapp has prepared this report on the philosophical understanding of technology for a troubled world; if ever philosophy were needed, it is in the prac tical attempt to find alternatives among technologies, to foresee dangers and opportunities, to choose with a sense of the possibil ity of fulfilling humane values. Emerson spoke of the scholar not as a specialist apart, but as 'Man thinking' and Rapp's essay so speaks to all of us, industrial world or third world, engineers or humanists, tired or energetic, fearful or optimistic."

For years scientists turned to the CRC Handbook of Laser Science & Technology for reliable data on optical materials. Out of print for several years, that standard-setting work now has a successor: the Handbook of Optical Materials.

This new handbook is an authoritative compilation of the physical properties of materials used in all types of lasers and optical systems. In it, scientist, author, and editor Dr. Marvin J. Weber provides extensive data tabulations and references for the most important optical materials, including crystals, glasses, polymers, metals, liquids, and gases. The properties detailed include both linear and nonlinear optical properties, mechanical properties, thermal properties together with many additional special properties, such as electro-, magneto-, and elasto-optic properties.

Using a minimum of narration and logically organized by material properties, the handbook's unique presentation simplifies the process of comparing different materials for their suitability in particular applications. Appendices furnish a wealth of other useful information, including lists of the many abbreviations and acronyms that proliferate in this field. The Handbook of Optical Materials is simply the most complete one-stop source available for materials data essential to lasers and optical systems.

Friedrich Rapp, in this magisterial and critical essay on technology, the complex human phenomenon that demands philosophy of science, philosophy of culture, moral insight, and historical sensi tivity for its understanding, writes modestly of the grave and ten tative situation in the philosophy of technology. Despite the pro found thinkers who have devoted time and imagination and ratio nal penetration, despite the massive literature now available, the varied and comparative viewpoints of political, analytic, despite metaphysical, cultural, even esthetic commitments, indeed despite the honest joining of historical and systematic methods of inves tigation, we are far from a satisfactory understanding of the joys and sorrows, the achievements and disappointments, of the tech nological saga of human societies. Professor Rapp has prepared this report on the philosophical understanding of technology for a troubled world; if ever philosophy were needed, it is in the prac tical attempt to find alternatives among technologies, to foresee dangers and opportunities, to choose with a sense of the possibil ity of fulfilling humane values. Emerson spoke of the scholar not as a specialist apart, but as 'Man thinking' and Rapp's essay so speaks to all of us, industrial world or third world, engineers or humanists, tired or energetic, fearful or optimistic."

Die vorliegende Arbeit ist in erster Linie historisch orientiert. Sie gibt eine Zusammenfassung der Diskussion innerhalb der zeitgenossischen Sowjet- philosophie iiber dynamische und statistische GesetzmaBigkeit und einen Uberblick iiber den zugehOrigen allgemeinen philosophischen Hinter- grund. Die kritische Wiirdigung wurde auf die wesentlichen Punkte der innerhalb des dialektischen Materialismus relevanten Fragen beschrankt. Die Wiedergabe der von den Sowjetphilosophen vertretenen Auf- fassungen ist nicht Selbstzweck; sie ist vielmehr als Beitrag zur Klarung der Sachfragen gedacht. Hinter der historischen Darstellung steht also ein sachliches Interesse, das auch in der Gliederung der vorliegenden Arbeit seinen Ausdruck lindet. Der Verlust einer zusammenhiingenden Wiedergabe der Gedankenfiihrung der einzelnen Autoren wird so durch eine thematische Synopsis aufgewogen. Die hier dargestellten Uberlegungen der sowjetischen Autoren lassen sich etwa mit der Kategorialanalyse N. Hartmanns vergleichen. Ihre Ausfiihrungen zeigen oft originelle Gedanken, die aber nicht immer hin- reichend kritisch reflektiert sind. 1m Gesamtbild treten dabei interessante Ergebnisse zutage, die auch fiir den westlichen Fachgelehrten von Interesse sein diirften. Die beriicksichtigten Arbeiten stammen von Philosophen aus der Sowjetunion. (Bine Ausnahme bildet nur der Artikel von P. O. Gropp (Leipzig) in Voprosy Filosofii, der in der Sowjetunion als Diskussions- beitrag gewertet wurde.) Da die Sowjetphilosophen sich iibereinstimmend zum dialektischen Materialismus bekennen, werden 'Sowjetphilosophie' und 'dialektischer Materialismus' stets als Synonyme benutzt. Die Trans- kription russischer Ausdriicke erfolgt in der bibliothekarischen Umschrift.