Introduction to Philosophy of Technology

by Coeckelbergh, Mark

• ISBN13: 9780190939809
• ISBN10: 019093980X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2019-11-06
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Addressing the technological opportunities and challenges of the 21st century, Introduction to Philosophy of Technology offers the most up-to-date and comprehensive overview of philosophy of technology available. It covers several of the classic theories and approaches, but also moves beyond them to explore a broader range of theories and a number of new dynamics in the field, including responding to new technological developments. Esteemed scholar Mark Coeckelbergh emphasizes how new technological developments stimulate philosophical thinking--and rethinking--and how philosophers of technology could do more to interact with other subdisciplines in philosophy and fields beyond academia, such as art and policy.

Author Biography

Mark Coeckelbergh is Professor of Media and Technology in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Vienna and was also President of the Society for Philosophy and Technology. He is the author of twelve books and a member of the High Level Expert Group on AI of the European Commission.

Table of Contents

PART 1. INTRODUCTION: PHILOSOPHY OF TECHNOLOGY?
1. Introduction
Case/Technology: Nuclear Technology and the Atomic Bomb
1.1. Thinking about Technology?
1.2. Approach, Structure of the Book, and Overview of Chapters
2. History and Landscape
Case: Technology, Knowledge, and Memory
2.1. Beginnings: Two Ancient Myths
In Focus: Bernard Stiegler
2.2. A Brief History of the Discipline
Technology: The Time Machine
2.3. Historical Context, Landscape of the Discipline, and Critical Questions
Technology: The Industrial Revolution
In Focus: Carl Mitcham
PART 2. THINKING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY BY STARTING FROM THEORY
3. Phenomenology and Hermeneutics: Heidegger, McLuhan, and Contemporary Work
Case/Technology: Robotics and Artificial Intelligence and the Question about Mastery
3.1. Heidegger's Essay Concerning Technology: Beyond an Instrumental Understanding of Technology
In Focus: Martin Heidegger
3.2. McLuhan's Understanding of Media
In Focus: Marshall McLuhan
In Focus: Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Case/Technology: The Internet
3.3. Some Contemporary Work in Phenomenology and Hermeneutics of Technology
Case/Technology: Artificial Intelligence
In Focus: Hubert Dreyfus
4. Postphenomenology, Material Hermeneutics, and Mediation Theory
Case/Technology: Driving a Car
4.1. Introduction: The Empirical Turn
4.2. Ihde's Postphenomenology and Material Hermeneutics
In Focus: Don Ihde
Case/Technology: Robot as Quasi-Other
4.3. Contemporary Postphenomenology and Mediation Theory
In Focus: Peter-Paul Verbeek
Technology/Case: Medical Sonography/Ultrasound
4.4. Critical Discussion
5. Critical Theory and Feminism
Case: Digital Technologies in a Corporate and Capitalist Context
5.1. Marx: Political Economy and Technology
In Focus: Karl Marx
5.2. Marx 2.0.: Social media and Exploitation
Case/Technology: Social Media and Web 2.0
5.3. Critical Theory about Technology Beyond Marx: From Marcuse and Foucault to Feenberg and Winner
In Focus: Michel Foucault
Case: Surveillance: The Panopticon and Airport Security
Case: Biased Algorithms and Algorithms Not in the Interest of Consumers: Job Selection, Criminal Justice, and Online Stores
In Focus: Andrew Feenberg
In Focus: Langdon Winner
5.4. Feminist Thinking about Technology
Case: Design of Household Robots
In Focus: Donna Haraway
5.5. Critical Discussion
6. Pragmatism, Analytic Approaches, and Transcultural Philosophy
Case/Technology: Neonatal Care and Technology
6.1. Pragmatism
In Focus: John Dewey
6.2. Analytic Philosophy of Technology
Technology: Money and Contemporary Financial Technologies (Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain)
In Focus: John Searle's Social Ontology
6.3. Intercultural and Transcultural Philosophy of Technology?
In Focus: Gilbert Simondon
Case/Technology: Digital Communication Technologies and The Good Life
PART 3 . THINKING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY BY STARTING FROM TECHNOLOGY
7. From Information Technologies to Philosophy and Ethics of Information
Technology: Digital and Virtual Worlds, The Matrix, and Beyond
7.1. Introduction
In Focus: Norbert Wiener
7.2. All about Information: Floridi's Philosophy and Ethics of Information
Case/Technology: Fake News and the Internet
7.3. Critical Discussion
7.4. Conclusions for Philosophy of Technology
8. From Robotics and AI to Thinking about Moral Status and Human Relationships
Case: Self-Driving Cars
8.1. Introduction
8.2. Moral Machines? The Discussion about Moral Agency
Case: Biased Algorithms
8.3. The Discussion about Moral Patiency
8.4. Changing the Question: Toward More Relational Thinking
In Focus: Emmanuel Levinas
8.5. The Debate about Sex Robots and Human Relationships: Feminist (or Egalitarian) Questions
Technology: Sex Robots
8.6. Humans, Non-Humans, and the More-Than-Human
9. From Genetic Engineering and Cyborgs to Transhumanism and Posthumanism
Case/Technology: Gene Editing
9.1. Introduction
9.2. Transhumanism and Human Enhancement
9.3. Posthumanism and Cyborgs
In Focus: Haraway
In Focus: Stelarc
In Focus: Bruno Latour
10. From Climate Change and Geoengineering to Questioning "Nature" and Thinking in and about the "Anthropocene"
Case/Technology: (Solar) Radiation Management as a Method of Geoengineering
10.1. Introduction: Earth, We Have a Problem
10.2. The Problem With "Nature": Modern Versus Non-Modern Approaches
Case/Technology: Central Heating Versus Wood-Burning Stove
10.3. The Anthropocene: Some Philosophical Responses
PART 4. THINKING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY BY GOING BEYOND PHILOSOPHY OF TECHNOLOGY (PHILOSOPHY OF TECHNOLOGY +)
11. Philosophy of Technology and Other Philosophy: (Re)Connecting with Other Philosophical Subdisciplines
Case/Technology: Social Media (2) and Its Effects on our Lives
11.1. Introduction
11.2. Ethics and Moral Philosophy: Thinking about Virtue and Thinking about Technology
11.3. Philosophical Anthropology: Thinking about the Human and Thinking about Technology
Technology: Cochlear Implants
11.4. Philosophy of Language: Thinking about Language and Thinking about Technology
In Focus: John Searle
Ludwig Wittgenstein
11.5. Other Subfields: Some Examples
11.6. Conclusions for Philosophers of Technology
12. Philosophy of Technology and Other Academic Disciplines: Interdisciplinarity and Transdisciplinarity
Case/Technology: Robotics and Interdisciplinarity
12.1. Introduction
12.2. Some Examples of Transdisciplinary Work for Philosophers of Technology
In Focus: Deborah Johnson
Technology: Humanoid Robots
In Focus: Wiebe Bijker
12.3. Challenges for Transdisciplinary Work
13. Philosophy of Technology and Other Practices Beyond Academia
Case/Technology: "Killer Drones" and Activism
13.1. Beyond Academia: Innovation, Policy, and Art
In Focus: Jeroen Van Den Hoven
In Focus: Robert Frodeman
Technology: Smartphones, Tablets, and Other Smart Devices
13.2. Some Directions and Recommendations Concerning the Future of Research in Philosophy of Technology and Its Potential Implications for Education