1 / 46

Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

18Sp ISBU/ISSS 3888-101 (SCPS). Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology. Yitna Firdyiwek, Instructor ybf2u@virginia.edu. Thursdays: 7:00 – 9:45. UVaCollab.virginia.edu: Blackboard Collaborate ( http://tinyurl.com/BbC3888 ). Agenda: Going forward Preview of Rifkin

leroymartin
Download Presentation

Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. 18Sp ISBU/ISSS 3888-101 (SCPS) Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology Yitna Firdyiwek, Instructorybf2u@virginia.edu Thursdays: 7:00 – 9:45 UVaCollab.virginia.edu: Blackboard Collaborate(http://tinyurl.com/BbC3888)

  2. Agenda: • Going forward • Preview of Rifkin • Technology and Modern Existence -- Ferre • Next Class… ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  3. Going Forward: Work left to do • Ferre, Feenberg • Writing option for two S&R assignments • Projects (paper, group-work, or ePortfolio) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  4. Going Forward: • Overview of Material: • 8 Writing Assignments (1 “First Impression” and 7 “Summary & Response”) • 6 Blog posts • 2 Projects ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  5. Going Forward: Evaluation • Class Participation & Annotations (10%) • Weekly Writing Assignments (20%) • Blogging (10%) • Paper or Team Presentations(20%) • ePortfolio (40%) • Options: • Paper (20%), Team (20%), ePortfolio (20%) • Paper (60%) or ePortfolio (60%) • Other…? ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  6. Going Forward: Schedule • Ferre • Options: • Paper (20%), Team (20%), ePortfolio (20%) • Paper (60%) or ePortfolio (60%) • Other…? ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  7. Rifkin: Architects of the Mechanical World • Francis Bacon • Rene Descartes • Isaac Newton • John Locke • Adam Smith ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  8. Architects of the Mechanical World • This is the highest point of the Medieval trajectory… (check back) • Bacon (1561-1626): • “the original no-nonsense pragmatist”; • Rails against the Greeks – why? • New method for dealing with the world – the scientific method • “separate the observer from the observed” • neutral/objective platform -> neutral/objective knowledge • “how” is more important than “why” • Science leads to discoveries and power • What happens to God in Nature? ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  9. Architects of the Mechanical World • This is the highest point of the Medieval trajectory… (check back) • Descartes: • The world is only matter and motion  what does this mean? • connects objective knowledge of the world with mathematics (quality/quantity, analog/digital  see how statistics grew out of agriculture measurements) • The world is predictable  no room for Divinity • The world is becoming more ordered ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  10. Architects of the Mechanical World • This is the highest point of the Medieval trajectory… (check back) • Newton: • If the world can be understood through mathematics, this is what it says: • Three laws: “A body at rest…” • The motions of heavenly bodies can be calculated as easily as the motions of billiard balls on a pool table • The world is simple and predictable • The mechanical paradigm worked  what does this mean? ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  11. Architects of the Mechanical World • This is the highest point of the Medieval trajectory… (check back) • Locke: • Human beings are messy • How do we apply this new paradigm to them • First accept that their messiness comes from their ignorance and superstition (see Bacon’s objectification) • See human progress as evidence of movement towards order (better machines, more predictable knowledge, etc.) • Find the rules of order that apply to humans: • Social order cannot be based on God (unknowable) • Social order must be based on Individuality • Self-interest is the only basis for society • Social order (government) must be there only to protect/justify “self interest” • What is “self interest”  property, material wealth • Material wealth becomes the indicator of progressive “order” in the world… ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  12. Architects of the Mechanical World • This is the highest point of the Medieval trajectory… (check back) • Smith: • How can the build up of material order be managed  economics • Economics has its own laws which, if obeyed, will lead to economic growth  what are these laws? • Efficiency  must, like water, be allowed to flow and find its own paths guided by “the invisible hand” (market forces) • Regulation, and governmental control stifles economic growth • Where does Nature fit in all this? It is matter, it is material to be shaped into the expected progressive order of history as they saw it. And there is plenty of matter to go around… unlimited growth, unlimited expansion. It worked. ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  13. Ferre: Technology and Modern Existence • Karl Marx • Buckminister Fuller • Martin Heidegger • Herbert Marcuse ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  14. One of the first thinkers to see the impact of (industrial) technology on society Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  15. One of the first thinkers to see the impact of (industrial) technology on society • Gave primacy to the “practical” over the “theoretical” (against Hegel’s “Spirit”) Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  16. One of the first thinkers to see the impact of (industrial) technology on society • Gave primacy to the “practical” over the “theoretical” (agains Hegel’s “Spirit”) • Saw how “craft” technology had brought about the demise of the agrarian/feudal (pre-industrial) system … extrapolated that to predict a workers’ revolution against the industrial system Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  17. One of the first thinkers to see the impact of (industrial) technology on society • Gave primacy to the “practical” over the “theoretical” (against Hegel’s “Spirit”) • Saw how “craft” technology had brought about the demise of the agrarian/feudal (pre-industrial) system … extrapolated that to predict a workers’ revolution against the industrial system • How does his view apply today? Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  18. Man of many talents (inventor, philosopher, poet) R. B. Fuller (1895 – 1983) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  19. Man of many talents (inventor, philosopher, poet) • Projected a very positive image of human reason (theoretical power); even at the cosmic level (the universe itself is rational) R. B. Fuller (1895 – 1983) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  20. Man of many talents (inventor, philosopher, poet) • Projected a very positive image of human reason (theoretical power); even at the cosmic level (the universe itself is rational) • Humans must trust their machines because they extend our capabilities R. B. Fuller (1895 – 1983) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  21. Man of many talents (inventor, philosopher, poet) • Projected a very positive image of human reason (theoretical power); even at the cosmic level (the universe itself is rational) • Humans must trust their machines because they extend our capabilities • But we must develop our rational minds -- become engineers in the best sense of the word R. B. Fuller (1895 – 1983) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  22. Man of many talents (inventor, philosopher, poet) • Projected a very positive image of human reason (theoretical power); even at the cosmic level (the universe itself is rational) • Humans must trust their machines because they extend our capabilities • But we must develop our rational minds -- become engineers in the best sense of the word • How does his view apply today? R. B. Fuller (1895 – 1983) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  23. Most complex philosopher of technology of the 20th Century Martin Heidegger (1889 – 1976) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  24. Most complex philosopher of technology of the 20th Century • The essence of technology is not the artifact or process, but our own way of thinking (the technological “a priori”) Martin Heidegger (1889 – 1976) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  25. Most complex philosopher of technology of the 20th Century • The essence of technology is not the artifact or process, but our own way of thinking (the technological “a priori”) • When we “Enframe” reality (view nature as simply a resource: i.e., forest = lumber, mountain = ore, etc.) we ourselves ultimately become “human resources” Martin Heidegger (1889 – 1976) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  26. Most complex philosopher of technology of the 20th Century • The essence of technology is not the artifact or process, but our own way of thinking (the technological “a priori”) • When we “Enframe” reality (view nature as simply a resource: i.e., forest = lumber, mountain = ore, etc.) we ourselves ultimately become “human resources” • Humans are therefore threatened by “Enframing” and could fall out of touch with “primal truth” Martin Heidegger (1889 – 1976) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  27. Most complex philosopher of technology of the 20th Century • The essence of technology is not the artifact or process, but our own way of thinking (the technological “a priori”) • When we “Enframe” reality (view nature as simply a resource: i.e., forest = lumber, mountain = ore, etc.) we ourselves ultimately become “human resources” • Humans are therefore threatened by “Enframing” and could fall out of touch with “primal truth” • …everything becomes “in order to...” Martin Heidegger (1889 – 1976) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  28. Most complex philosopher of technology of the 20th Century • The essence of technology is not the artifact or process, but our own way of thinking (the technological “a priori”) • When we “Enframe” reality (view nature as simply a resource: i.e., forest = lumber, mountain = ore, etc.) we ourselves ultimately become “human resources” • Humans are therefore threatened by “Enframing” and could fall out of touch with “primal truth” • …everything becomes “in order to...” • …nothing can become itself Martin Heidegger (1889 – 1976) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  29. Most complex philosopher of technology of the 20th Century • The essence of technology is not the artifact or process, but our own way of thinking (the technological “a priori”) • When we “Enframe” reality (view nature as simply a resource: i.e., forest = lumber, mountain = ore, etc.) we ourselves ultimately become “human resources” • Humans are therefore threatened by “Enframing” and could fall out of touch with “primal truth” • …everything becomes “in order to...” • …nothing can become itself • …there is hope, but only if we look squarely at the crisis Martin Heidegger (1889 – 1976) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  30. Most complex philosopher of technology of the 20th Century • The essence of technology is not the artifact or process, but our own way of thinking (the technological “a priori”) • When we “Enframe” reality (view nature as simply a resource: i.e., forest = lumber, mountain = ore, etc.) we ourselves ultimately become “human resources” • Humans are therefore threatened by “Enframing” and could fall out of touch with “primal truth” • …everything becomes “in order to...” • …nothing can become itself • …there is hope, but only if we look squarely at the crisis • How does his view apply today? Martin Heidegger (1889 – 1976) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  31. Technology is the base for totalitarian control and human freedom Herbert Marcuse (1889 – 1979) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  32. Technology is the base for totalitarian control and human freedom • Technology can distort consciousness and make people unaware of their servitude Herbert Marcuse (1889 – 1979) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  33. Technology is the base for totalitarian control and human freedom • Technology can distort consciousness and make people unaware of their servitude • Technology as a veil for a rationalized totalitarian system Herbert Marcuse (1889 – 1979) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  34. Technology is the base for totalitarian control and human freedom • Technology can distort consciousness and make people unaware of their servitude • Technology as a veil for a rationalized totalitarian system • Technology can be confronted only through political critique and activism Herbert Marcuse (1889 – 1979) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  35. Technology is the base for totalitarian control and human freedom • Technology can distort consciousness and make people unaware of their servitude • Technology as a veil for a rationalized totalitarian system • Technology can be confronted only through political critique and activism • The “Great Refusal” – if we can manage it. Herbert Marcuse (1889 – 1979) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  36. Relationship to Marx, Fuller, and Heidegger: • “Like Marx [he] believed that industrial capitalism is radically exploitative of worker.” • “Like Fuller he believed that technological intelligence is capable of ordering a world without poverty.” • “Like Heidegger, he was convinced that the technological a priori rules contemporary consciousness and thereby dominates every aspect of political and social life today.” Herbert Marcuse (1889 – 1979) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  37. Relationship to Marx, Fuller, and Heidegger: • “In contrast to Marx, [he] did not believe that the proletariat, despite their oppression, are likely to rise. Unaided in revolt against their more sophisticated technocratic masters.” • “In contrast to Fuller, [he] did not rejoice in technological progress as in itself the manifestation of human destiny, though in his view only technologically embodied solutions would satisfy the needs of the future.” • “In contrast to Heidegger, [he] believed in political critique and activity against the flattening effects of ‘ the happy consciousness.’” Herbert Marcuse (1889 – 1979) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  38. Relationship to Marx, Fuller, and Heidegger: • “In contrast to Marx, [he] did not believe that the proletariat, despite their oppression, are likely to rise. Unaided in revolt against their more sophisticated technocratic masters.” • “In contrast to Fuller, [he] did not rejoice in technological progress as in itself the manifestation of human destiny, though in his view only technologically embodied solutions would satisfy the needs of the future.” • “In contrast to Heidegger, [he] believed in political critique and activity against the flattening effects of ‘ the happy consciousness.’” • How does his view apply today? Herbert Marcuse (1889 – 1979) ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  39. Four modern perspectives on technology • Marx and the industrial age: technology will help laborers revolt against self-interested (oppressive) capitalistic industry ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  40. Four modern perspectives on technology • Marx and the industrial age: technology will help laborers revolt against self-interested (oppressive) capitalistic industry • Fuller’s positive and cosmic outlook on technology : we can control technology with our rational minds; the universe is rational ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  41. Four modern perspectives on technology • Marx and the industrial age: technology will help laborers revolt against self-interested (oppressive) capitalistic industry • Fuller’s positive and cosmic outlook on technology : we can control technology with our rational minds; the universe is rational • Heidegger’s caution against the anti-nature perspective of “enframing” everything (nature as resource) and about the way we think (technological a priori); we end up “human resource” ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  42. Four modern perspectives on technology • Marx and the industrial age: technology will help laborers revolt against self-interested (oppressive) capitalistic industry • Fuller’s positive and cosmic outlook on technology; we can control technology with our rational minds; the universe is rational • Heidegger’s caution against the anti-nature perspective of “enframing” everything (nature as resource) and about the way we think (technological a priori); we end up “human resource • Marcuse’s democratic activism as the only response left for modern man: the Great Refusal ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  43. ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  44. For Next Week: • Summary & Response to Ferre • Annotate Feenberg • Come with project decision(s)… ISBU/ISSS 3888: Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology

  45. 18Sp ISBU/ISSS 3888-101 (SCPS) Readings in the History and Philosophy of Technology Yitna Firdyiwek, Instructorybf2u@virginia.edu Thursdays: 7:00 – 9:45

More Related