Philosophy
of technology: the technological condition offers a comprehensive though non-balanced
survey to the main currents in the history of philosophy of technology. Gathering 55 readings on a variety of
issues, Plato’s and Aristotle’s distinctions between techne and episteme,
Kant’s view on perpetual peace, Bacon on scientific knowledge, positivist and
non positivist views of science, the tasks of philosophy of technology, its
definition, Heidegger on technology, technology as part of the human condition,
autonomy, technology and ecology, and technology and power. This new anthology introduces students to
the challenging problems examined by some of the major thinkers in the
field. Combine this with brief
introductions, summaries, not thorough apparatus and different level of
difficulty in the readings; and the book under review is created for a variety
of readers, the novice and the advanced student alike as introduction to the
philosophy of technology with a special focus on Heidegger and its relevant
context and pretext.

Range and depth

Philosophy
of technology: the technological condition, covering more topics than other
anthologies. Selections are organized
around six sections which cover the following issues:

i historical background:
epistemology and technology;

ii early to late
philosophy of science and philosophy of technology;

iii defining technology;

iv Heidegger’s
contributions to technology;

v Homo Faber;

vi technology as social
practice; and technology knowledge and power.

The book
begins with Plato continues to Aristotle, Bacon, Kant, Comte, Rousseau, Marx
and Engels to name an important few.
The criteria of selection are implicit, it serves to anticipate the
thought of Heidegger with his commentators side by side with ideas (which are
mostly dismissed) which were originating in the tradition of the positivists
and analytical and critical rationalists thinkers. With such a range and depth of readings, students are able to
explore important and interesting questions which are either ignored or receive
only cursory attention in other anthologies:
What distinguishes between the book under review and other
anthologies? What is the historical
background of the distinction between techne, art, skill, from knowledge (the
word originated in Latin, scietntia in Greek, episteme)? Technology as an art or skill is posited in
contra distinction with science that offers knowledge of nature or knowledge of
society of humans or of humans’ artifacts.
Technology is a practical branch of knowledge. For example medicine is a technology, a practical branch of
different scientific disciplines, biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physiology,
anatomy etc.

It is
quite interesting that the hero of this anthology is a German philosopher, a
member of the Nazi party, who equated his philosophy with the real Nazi
ideology (the editors do not discuss the connections between Heidegger’s
philosophy and politics nor do they offer readings on this subject). Heidegger attempts to focus on the
question: “What is technology?” This, he suggests, invites an essentialist
answer, that is both portraying technology as “means to an end” and as a human
activity; the essence of technology, says Heidegger, is revealed in its human
activity (255). Plato and Aristotle are
referenced to support this sense of the term technology (255), these are indeed
the same readings with which the anthology begin (only now the criteria of the
selection of these readings becomes clear).
The way of revealing which leads to truth, is called by Heidegger,
Enframing (258, 263). The essence of
technology is revealing its fate. But
what this fate is remains a puzzle in Heidegger’s article. Given the technology of the atomic bomb,
which he mentions, the question how a technology which poses a threat to the
future of humans may be controlled, is relevant, but not addressed. Nor does the question, what political or
ethical consideration needs to be addressed in the usage of such
technology? Heidegger and some of his
followers – who are presented in the book under review – do not offer answers
to these urgent questions. But elsewhere, in his famous interview in Der Spiegel (issue of May 31st
1976), Heidegger suggests a reply to those urgent questions by asserting that
whereas Democracy is not able to meet the challenges of technology control,
National Socialism can. Nevertheless, on this issue, contemporary
contributors to the book under review remain silent. I do not know why.

The Level of reading,
the useful apparatus.

The
dense sometimes technical nature of the articles in each section sketch minor
and major issues. At the beginning of
each section, a brief introduction summarizes some of the views displayed in
the articles. This does not replace a much-needed
glossary and explanation of the criteria used for the selections of the
articles in this anthology. The index
provided in the end of the book is quite useful.

© 2003 Avshalom M. Adam

Avshalom M. Adam, Ph.D., Visiting
Scholar, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley

Categories: Ethics, Philosophical