Technology, philosophy of. --- .This section is about the philosophy of technology. Topics include: ( ) Ethics of technology. ( ) Metaphysics of technology. --- 1/24/2006
Technology, philosophy of. --- (1) Technology makes our life easier. (2) Technology extends our abilities and powers, to let us do what we could not previously do. (3) Technology often has unintended consequences. --- 11/7/2006
Technology, philosophy of. --- Aesthetics and art vs. technology: form follows function vs. function follows form. Technology vs. aesthetics, pros and cons of each. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Epistemology: knowledge of technology (epistemology). Know if it works or not. Know how it works or don't. Know why it works or don't. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. (1) Development of new technologies requires revised ethical views. (2) Especially new tools of observation and measurement, which cause changes in our epistemological abilities. Any change in epistemology (epistemological tools, epistemological method, or epistemological knowledge) causes a change in metaphysics, which causes a change in ethics. (3) Not only does our moral reasoning change (hopefully for the better), but so does our metaphysical situation change (natural environment and manmade environment). --- 09/15/1993
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. (1) Don't acquire what you don't need. (2) Don't fail to acquire what you need. Stay aware of the latest stuff coming out. Don't ditch technologies that are still useful (esp. historically useful). --- 07/30/1993
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. (1) Quality of life. (2) Environment (degradation or restoration). (3) Struggling and technology (arms race). --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. (1) Technology enables ethics. Technology brings more power, which enables us to do more good (and bad). (2) Technology also raises new ethical questions. New technologies create new ethical issues. --- 5/15/1998
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. (1) The computer notches up our level of ethical responsibility. Due to computers, our level of responsibility to gather information, to store information, to organize information, and to disseminate information are all much higher. (2) The above is an example of the following principle: Technology gives us more power. Technology thus gives us more ethical responsibility. Because more power means more responsibility. --- 6/10/1999
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. (1) Use vs. un-use. (2) Use vs. abuse of technologies. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Best and worst technologies, for any goal, in any situation, and why. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Can get, will get, could get, should get, or not. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Choosing from among available technologies. Advantages and disadvantages. Pro and contra of using x technology rather than y technology in z situation. How to improve the drawbacks or bad side effects. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Costs of technology. Technologies shape our environment for better and/or worse. Technology controls our behavior as much as it frees us. Technology may change the ways and amounts we are free. Technology may make us trapped and enslaved. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Economic considerations, political considerations. Considerations through time, now and later. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Ethical imperative: develop and apply best technologies towards best goals. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Ethics in a world of much, cheap, disposable stuff and garbage vs. few, rare, expensive things and little garbage. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Ethics of artificial intelligence. A machine that can feel deserves human rights? No. Animals that feel deserve animal rights. Machines that feel deserve machine rights. --- 5/30/1998
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Four situations: (1) Means good, ends good. (2) Means good, ends bad. (3) Means bad, ends good. (4) Means bad, ends bad. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Freedom. Slavery to a technology vs. independence from a technology. Can you get away from it if you desire? --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Freedom. Technology that decreases freedom vs. increases freedom. Amount a technology enslaves you vs. amount a technology frees you. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. It will be a human right to have a website. To have a web presence. To have a virtual self. To exist as a virtual person in virtual reality. --- 10/17/1999
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Planned vs. unplanned uses and effects of a technology. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Quality of life may increase in some areas and decrease in others, or for some and less others. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Sometimes we can not do good until we have the tools to do good. Example, communication across large distances. So ethical development can depend on technological development. --- 3/30/1998
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Technologies you (1) Have/don't (can use/can't use). (2) Can get/can't get. (3) Should get/shouldn't get. (4) Could get/couldn't get. (5) Get/get rid of. (6) Use. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Technology and goals, problems and solutions. To do x (x actually is a variety of goals you want to reach, whether you realize it consciously or not). Best vs. worst technologies and why. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Technology can be used for evil instead of good, and that is a problem. Technology can be used to decrease productivity instead of increase productivity. Technology can be used to distract instead of focus. Technology can be used to disempower instead of empower. On the personal and social level, technology can be used for good or evil, unwittingly or wittingly on the part of those people who deploy technologies, and with or without the awareness of those people who use the technology. Therefore, an analysis of the ethical implications of technology is the first thing that should be done. Every technology should be subjected to ethical scrutiny, on both the personal level and the societal level. --- 5/16/2007
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Technology can be used for good or bad. Technology can be used BY individuals and groups for good or bad. Technology can be used ON individuals and groups for good or bad. That is, people can be actuators and recipients of technology that is used for good and bad purposes. PART TWO. (1) Technology can be used to facilitate social interaction (good). Or technology can be used to isolate and alienate people (bad). (2) Technology can be used to empower people (good). Or technology can be used to oppress and exploit people (bad). (3) Technology can be used to explore the world and learn about the world (good). Or technology can be used to avoid, ignore and escape from the world (bad). --- 11/9/2004
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Technology can evolve, stagnate or devolve. Its use or abuse can lead to evolution, stagnation, or devolution of society. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Technology choices: pros and cons. Advantages and disadvantages. Strengths and weaknesses. Costs and benefits. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Technology increases our power, but it also raises the level to which we have an ethical responsibility. For example, a hundred thousand years ago, if someone said, "Og, go fly a plane halfway around the world to deliver food for famine relief". Og could say, "Hey, I've only got two hands. And the airplane will not be invented for a long time". However, today we have airplanes and we can provide famine relief. In a similar way, the computer is another technology that raises our level of ethical responsibility. The desktop computer is both a communication tool and a tool to store and organize ideas. Wearable computers with voice recognition will raise our level of ethical responsibility even further. No more excuses like "I cannot type" or "I do not have time". To ignore the full implications of technology is to feign ignorance and to abdicate your ethical responsibility. For example, if Og killed a fellow person and people said to him "Don't act like an animal", meaning, "Don't act like you don't have a brain" or "Don't pretend like you don't know better." Do not feign ignorance. --- 10/19/2000
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Technology increases the number of possible courses of action available. Ethics is all about possible courses of action available. Freedom is about gaining more possible courses of action. Power is about having more possible courses of action available. Thus technology is directly related to ethics, freedom and power. --- 5/10/1999
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Technology is a means. Means (strategies, tactics) vs. ends (goals, objectives). Mean/end: use what means for what ends (good/bad). --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Technology is neither good nor bad (except as viewed as a means to an end). Technology can be used, abused, or not used, and not abused. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Technology that helps situation vs. hurts more than helps. Obviously vs. inobviously. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. The moral imperative: invent stuff. --- 9/30/1998
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. To say technology is neither good nor evil is not accurate. To say technology can be used for both good and evil is more accurate. --- 3/30/1998
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Usefulness of a technology. How useful for who, useful for what? Psychologically useful, thus art is a technology. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Using what, how well, for what. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. Ways that humans try to control technology. (1) Legal measures. (A) Limit who can make it. (B) Limit who can sell it. (C) Limit who can buy it. --- 11/9/2004
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. What to make? How to make it? --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Ethics of technology. What you need vs. what you actually make. --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology: how does a technology change world, and us? --- 12/30/1992
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. (1) Dystopian visions. Technology leads to leisure time that we waste, lazy. Technology makes us so comfortable that we become mentally soft, physically soft, out of condition. Loss of god makes us immoral. (2) Utopian visions. Technology lets us push farther ahead. Food, free time, good information make us more productive. Loss of god makes us more responsible and self reliant. --- 11/30/1993
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. (1) People can feel dependent on technology. (2) People can feel slaves of technology. Individuals (and society) can feel controlled by technology. (3) Worse still, the individual (and society) can be shaped by technology. So, not only does technology control our actions and shape our environment, it also shapes who we are. (4) On the other hand, technology can increase our abilities, increase our choices (options, alternatives), and increase our freedoms. (5) The question is, are you free to choose the technology you use? The answer is yes. You can live like a primitive in the wilderness, or you can live like the Amish in low tech villages, or you can live in the high tech digital city. (6) Two important points to make sure of: (A) We save the knowledge and skills of low tech lifestyles (ex. Foxfire books). (B) We still have the freedom of choice to leave "the system" and "get off the grid". (C) This knowledge and freedom help ensure that technology does not have too strong a power over us. --- 5/30/2000
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. (1)(A) The anthropocentric view. It is all about man. (B) The biocentric view. Nature and its parts is as important as man. (2)(A) The mechanistic view. Nature can be analyzed like a machines and its parts. (B) The organic view. Holistic. Gaia. Nature is an organism. --- 06/10/1997
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. As our technological power grows, philosophy of technology becomes more important. Today, our technological power is developing rapidly, therefore philosophy of technology is very important today. (2) Today technology has increased effects, both good and bad, on several areas. Examples, (A) Effect of technology on the environment. (B) Effect of technology on individuals. (C) Effect of technology on society. --- 2/23/2001
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. Effect of x invention on individual, social, nature, total, 26 subjects. Ways and degrees it helps, and hurts. Degree and speed of change it makes. History and future trends. --- 01/01/1993
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. How is technology like math, philosophy and art? (1) Writing code is like building a machine. Optimizing code is like building a hot rod. So writing software code is a technological pursuit. ? (2) Is doing math like building a machine? Yes it is. (3) Is doing philosophy like building a machine? Yes, somewhat. (4) How about the arts? Is creating art like building a machine? No, not really. (1/4/2002). PART TWO. To what degree are software code, mathematics, logic, philosophy, science and art like machines? That depends how we define the term "machine". Machine defined as: (1) Parts fit. (2) Standardized parts. Reusable modules. (3) Inexorable logic drives it. Cause and effect processes. (4) Each function does one thing. No ambiguity. No variation. (5) No creativity. No intelligence. Robotic. Algorithmic. --- 1/10/2002
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. In the future there will be at least two you's. The real you and the virtual you that resides in cyberspace. The virtual you will be the you that has a choice of being born. And the virtual you will be the you that has a choice of living forever. --- 10/19/1999
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. Knowledge technology is best. Science technology is good. Manufacturing technology is okay. War technology is bad. --- 02/28/1998
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. Morph society. (1) Once, hundreds of years ago, we lived in a society where the physical object was a rare and precious object. Then we entered the industrial age and mass production made physical objects widely available at a low cost. In the future, we will have improved control over matter and objects at the physical level and at the design level. The primary objective of such a future society is sustainability in the form of a healthy, ecologically diverse and balanced environment. We will acheive conservation of resources and reduction of pollution. Potential positive side effects of having improved control of the physical level include lower prices; greater supply; less conflict over scarce resources; less poverty; less deprivation; less waste; greater efficiency; more health, happiness, democracy, peace, justice, etc. (2) Post 1950, the rise of the "disposable product" society was merely a step toward the rise of the "recyclable product" society. The "recyclable product" society is merely a step toward the "morph product" society, in which anything can turn into anything else. In a "morph product" society there are no fixed, static things. There is only fluid stuff that can take any form. (3) There are analogies to this idea in the arts. (A) Books have evolved from written manuscripts to printed books to digital books. (B) Paintings have evolved from physical paintings to printed reproductions to digital art. (C) Movies have evolved from theater to film movies to digital movies. (D) Music has evolved from musical performances to records to digital music. --- 7/18/2000
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. Once something is thought of it needs to be made. Once it is made it changes our perception of the world, and our perception of what we can accomplish, and thus it changes the goals we set. --- 1/30/1998
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. Technology and ecology. (1) What percentage of the population are luddites? What percentage of the population are bleak future, armageddon, no hopers? What percentage are ecologically clueless? What percentage are ecology haters? (2) Here is an argument against the luddites. The good ideas we have learned about organic farming ("natural") we have learned in part through good scientific research and technological application. From discovering things like the nitrogen cycle, etc. High tech does not mean unhealthy. Advanced scientific and technological knowledge does not mean a high tech solution will always be applied. (3) Technological growth and development. (A) How static and conservative a society is vs. how dynamic and pro-change they are. The above is an argument against conservative traditional views. (B) How competitive the society is, and whether this is due to the presence of a free market. This is an argument for capitalism. --- 03/01/1997
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. Technology assessment. The sum of economic costs, environmental costs, and psychological/sociological costs as compared to the sum of economic benefits, environmental benefits, and psychological/sociological benefits. --- 10/3/1999
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. Technology has improved the human condition greatly in terms of knowledge and education, and physical and psychological health. Sustainable technology will be even better. There have been unintentional mistakes, evil abuses, and careless excesses of technology, but more people have been helped than hurt by technology. War is bad, but overall mortality is down due to technology. Technology helps bring civilization, freedom, equality, and justice. --- 02/28/1998
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. The essence of the engineer, mechanic, techie, tool man, car guy, technological man. Know your machine so well that it becomes a person for you. So it breathes for you. Know how it works, know its parts and how they interact. Know it so well that you can tell its health by the noises it makes. Know its symptoms of distress. Know how to fix it when it breaks. Care for your machine (maintenance). Know your machines limits, and do not ask it to do more than it can. --- 03/08/1997
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. The human-machine relationship can be difficult because we expect humanity in our relationships. Two ways people deal with the difficulties of the human-machine interaction. (1) Humanize the machine. Treat the machine like a person. It becomes a human-human relationship. Doing this is ok. (2) Turn yourself into a machine: unfeeling, logical. It becomes a machine-machine relationship. Doing this is bad because you lose your humanity, and then have trouble dealing with other humans, and also make poor decisions about technology issues that affect the masses. (3) Perhaps the best thing to do is realize that the human-machine relationship can be inherently difficult, recognize it for what it is, and leave it as such. --- 03/08/1997
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. Three phenomena of technology: (1) Technology as an extension of the self. (2) Technology as an increase in our power, freedom and responsibility. (3) Embedding technology in the human body. PART ONE. Technology as an extension of the self. Intuitive technologies are indistinguishable from the self. Technology, when it is easy to use, often feels like an extension of the self. For example, when we look through a telescope it feels like our eyes have become more powerful. This is technology enabling us to do what we can already do, only better. (2) What's more, when we use a technology that gives us a power which we normally do not possess, we become a different being, and that is a difference of kind not just of degree. For example when we use a telescope that lets us see X-ray radiation rather than visible light, we begin to see in a way that we never had before. PART TWO. Technology as an increase in power, freedom and responsibility. When we use technology we increase our power, freedom and responsibility. Do we, or can we even, ever use technology to decrease our power, freedom and responsibility? Do oppressive regimes do so? PART THREE. When we embed technologies in the human body it becomes a different situation from that of humans using tools located outside the human body. When we embed technology inside the human body we become a new type of human being. For example, artificial hearts, cochlear implants for a hearing, artificial eyes, etc., are all cases where the technology is embedded in the human body. PART FOUR. The above phenomena are all issues in what could be called the metaphysics or ontology of technology. PART FIVE. When we talk about embedding technology in the body, some traditional people would argue against it. However, many of the so-called "handicapped" people would argue for it. The politically correct term for "handicapped" is "differently-abled" and I think it is a better term because in the future when more and more people decide to embed technology in their bodies in order to increase their abilities, we will have an even greater spectrum of "differently-abled" people. PART SIX. Two issues: (1) Using technology to increase our physical abilities verses using technology to increase our mental abilities. (2) Maintaining the ability to "turn off" or "take-off" the technology, versus full-time, 24 x 7, perhaps irreversibly permanent, additions of technology to the body. PART SEVEN. A person who can, with the aid of technology, see farther and run faster is a difference of degree. A person who can, with the aid of technology, fly through the air and breathe underwater is a difference of kind. --- 1/4/2002
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. Two phenomena of technology. (1) Unintended consequences. Negative side effects. (2) Unforeseen applications. New uses that were never imagined. Positive side effects. --- 11/9/2004
Technology, philosophy of. --- Metaphysics of technology. When we make a "new thing" we add to the metaphysical complexity of the world. Technology and the arts are about making things that never existed before; new things. --- 11/9/2004
Technology, philosophy of. --- PART ONE. Technological determinism. (1) Technology makes possible the economic system. For example, it is difficult to have efficient markets on a large scale if there is no communication technology. (2) Technology makes possible the political system. For example, it is difficult to have democracy on a large scale if there is no communication technology. PART TWO. The opposite view of technological determinism is that technology does not determine the structure of society. (1) Perhaps things other than technology determine what happens in the world, for example, economic determinism, political determinism, or historical determinism. (2) Yet another view is that perhaps nothing determines the shape of society. Perhaps no individual factor necessarily determines how a person or a society lives. That view can be called "anti-determinism". --- 5/22/2007
Technology, philosophy of. --- Philosophical perspectives to analyze technology. Marxist, existential, analytic, linguistic, deconstruction. Technology and metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetic (form follows function)? --- 07/14/1993
Technology, philosophy of. --- Philosophy of technology. (1) Metaphysics and technology: definitions of technology. (2) Technology and epistemology: development of epistemological knowledge due to technology. Technology aids development of science, and science aids development of technology. (3) Technology and ethics: Arms race, technological development at any cost? Technology as a means vs. ends. (4) Technology and aesthetics: New technology produces new art. Some people think technology ugly, others think it beautiful. Function over form completely leads to ugliness. --- 02/01/1994
Technology, philosophy of. --- Philosophy of technology. Ethics of technology choices (ways use technology) vs. metaphysics of technology (what is technology). --- 05/30/1993
Technology, philosophy of. --- Philosophy of technology. If philosophers spent as much time thinking about technology as they do thinking about art the world would be better off. --- 08/24/1994
Technology, philosophy of. --- Philosophy of technology. Should focus on (1) The power of technology. Technology increases man's powers. We measure the power of technology using terms like horsepower, manpower, etc. (2) Technology and the environment. (3) Technology as promoting or hindering freedom, equality and justice. --- 8/15/1999
Technology, philosophy of. --- Technologies that pose a challenge to the philosophy of technology, whether those challenges be in the area of ethics or metaphysics. (1) Nuclear technology. Nuclear weapons can destroy the earth. Nuclear power waste products remain radioactive for a very long time. (2) Genetic engineering. Genetically modified humans. Genetically modified plants and animals other than humans. (3) Nanotechnology. Too small to see with naked eye. (5) Artificial intelligence. Do we give rights to a computer than has the same cognitive capacities as humans? Can a human become smarter than humans? (6) Artificial life. Self replicating machines can run amok. --- 5/23/2005