Introduction to Philosophy of Technology

Description

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• Comprehensive, systematic, and up-to-date coverage of philosophy of technology
• Includes case studies throughout
• Engages with fields beyond the philosophy of technology, including ethics, philosophy of language, innovation, and policy (see Part 4)
• Shows how technological developments stimulate philosophical thinking (see Part III)
• Each chapter ends with review questions, discussion questions, recommended reading, and key terms

About the Author(s)

Mark Coeckelbergh

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