Philosophies of Technologies

Introduction

It is typical to assert that our contemporary societies are structured by what we call “digital technologies” as a result of the way they operate through computer codes and the discourses they initiate among the actors that are incorporated into their networks. The growing role played by these new technologies, the profound disruptions they are introducing and our inability to fully understand how they work give rise to increasing concern.

Added to this are the ecological anxieties of our time. The technologies that populate our homes and the technical processes used to extract resources are to be blamed for the ecological emergency we are facing today. Technologies defined in this way only serve a world whose objective is infinite growth at an ever-increasing pace, with total disregard for the Earth’s limits, the fragility of living organisms and the poorest countries.

This book takes these two common-sense observations as its starting point, treating them as an undeniable reality. The aim is not only to provide a philosophical understanding of this new situation, but also, and above all, to offer tools for action.

However, what can the philosophies of technologies, with their Greek origins, do in the face of such changes? Are they not too “ancient” to be able to deal with these issues? We have taken a gamble and assumed that they are not, because of the ability of philosophy to reformulate problems, put them into context and reveal what is at stake. This book ...