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Science Technology Chapter 6

1. The document discusses different philosophies of technology including Aristotelianism, Technological Pessimism, Technological Optimism, and Existentialism. 2. Martin Heidegger is presented as a major supporter of the Existentialist view. He argued that the true essence of technology is "enframing" or the way technology reveals or conceals. 3. Heidegger also analyzed technology not just as a means to an end but as a mode of revealing. This challenged the common view of technology as a purely instrumental activity.

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355 views23 pages

Science Technology Chapter 6

1. The document discusses different philosophies of technology including Aristotelianism, Technological Pessimism, Technological Optimism, and Existentialism. 2. Martin Heidegger is presented as a major supporter of the Existentialist view. He argued that the true essence of technology is "enframing" or the way technology reveals or conceals. 3. Heidegger also analyzed technology not just as a means to an end but as a mode of revealing. This challenged the common view of technology as a purely instrumental activity.

Uploaded by

Junlip Salar
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The human person flourishing in terms of

science and technology


Learning Outcomes:
1. define and explain what technology is and
its essence;
2. Understand the human condition and
analyze the effects of science and technology
to this condition; and
3. perceive the danger of the controlling power
technology has over humans
Technology – a means to an end
and being that is a
human activity.

 Aristotlefollowed that knowledge


of the world begins by looking and
examining that which exists.
Philosophies of technology
1. ARISTOTELIANISM – views technology as
basically a means to an end.

To Aristotle, technology is the organizing of


techniques in order to meet the demand that is
being posed by humans.
 Technology is primarily concerned with the
product.
Philosophies of technology
1. ARISTOTELIANISM – views
technology as basically a means to an
end.
 To Aristotle, technology is the
organizing of techniques in order
to meet the demand that is being
posed by humans.
 Technology is primarily concerned
with the product.
2. Technological Pessimism - is extremely
supported by Jacques Ellul( 1912-1094

Technologyhas become a way of life.


Technique has become a framework which
humans cannot escape.
Ellul’s pessimistic arguments:
1.Technological progress has a price.
2.Technological progress creates more problems.
3.Technological progress creates damaging effects.
4.Technological progress creates unpredictable
devastating effects.
Although Ellul has strongly spoken of his
arguments, they are still found to be weak and
not true at all times. Like when he said that
technological progress can create more
problems than it solves, he seems to have
underestimated the objective decision a
technician and other technological agencies
make regarding the technology where they weigh
the good and bad effect it can have in the society.
Technological pessimism
holds that although
technology is progressive
and beneficial in many
ways, it is also doubtful in
many ways.

 Technology is beneficial
in many ways but can
also be harmful in many
ways.
Technological optimism
This view is strongly supported by
technologists and engineers and also by
ordinary people who believe that technology
can alleviate all the difficulties and provide
solutions for problems that may come.

Itholds that even though technological


problems may arise, technology will still be
the solution to it.
The extreme version of this
philosophy is technocratism
which holds technology as
the supreme authority on
everything.
Technology
optimism
believes that
technology
is the
answer to all
man’s
problems.
EXISTENTIALISM
The main concern of this view is the
existence or the mode of being of someone
or something which is governed by the
norm of or being and is always faced with
the selection .
This view investigates the meaning of
existence or being and is always faced with
the selection the existent must make with
which the existent will commit himself to.
MARTIN HEIDEGGER – most known supporter
of existentialism

 He did not stop at defining


what technology is but has
dealt with its essence.

 To him, the real essence of


technology lies in enframing.
Enframing– the gathering of the setting upon
which challenges man to bring the
unconcealed to concealment and this is a
continuous revealing.
conceal - hide person or thing or cover
unconceal – uncover

Technology is a way of revealing (view of Heidegger).


Two definitions of technology examined
by Martin Heidegger:

Technology is a
(1)means to an end and a
(2)human activity.

Evaluation:
1.Confusing and there are questions to it
that are overlooked
2.Cannot be separated from each other
3.Instrumental and anthropological definition or the
means by which the human ends are realized
4. Misleading one because it limits our thinking
The Instrumental definition of Technology
It does not show the true essence of technology.

Technology is geared towards meeting a human


need, still there is a difference between the older
handicraft technologies with modern technology.

Ex. A saw mill on a secluded valley of the Black Forest


is primitive compared with the hydroelectric plant
on the Rhine River
He argued that “technology is by no means

technological” and should not be seen as


merely neutral.

The problem begins when human see it only


as a means to an end and disregard the fact
that there is a good technology and a bad
technology.
ARISTOTLE’S FOUR CAUSES (Silver chalice is used by Heidegger to illustrate them.)
1.Causa Materialis or the Material Cause
The material by which the silver chalice
was made of: silver
2. Causa Formalis or the Formal Cause
The form or the shape that gave the silver chalice its
image.
3.Causa finalis or the Final Cause
The purpose or the primary use by which the
silver chalice was made for: to be used during
the Holy Communion as a vessel for the wine
that represents the blood of Christ.
4. Causa Efficiens or the Efficient Cause
The agent that has caused for the silver chalice to
come about: the silversmith
The four causes are all responsible
for the bringing forth of the silver
chalice.
 This bringing forth of something is
 termed as poiesis – is characterized by
by an external force

> The silver chalice


Physis – is something that came without any
external force, like a flower blooming in
the field or a tree bearing its fruit.

The flower blossomed and the tree bore fruit


even without external help.
The ancient windmill and the modern windmill
The wooden bridge and the hydroelectric plant on
the Rhine River

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