Philosophy of Technology

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Technology is everywhere. From smartphones to GMOs, from the internet to biomedicine – it helps shape how we communicate, what we eat, what we know and how we age. But can we even agree on what ‘technology’ is? Is it merely applied science? A neutral tool, that’s used for better or worse? Or is it an autonomous force running on a logic of its own? Do we need to develop new concepts and tools in order to understand modern technologies? And what can technology tell us about what it means to be human? This course offers an overview of key approaches and issues in classic and modern philosophy of technology, in order to help students better reflect on what technology is and how specific technologies impact our society. We will explore important theoretical notions like ‘technological determinism’, ‘technological solutionism’, the ‘co- constitution of technology and society’, and the idea that technologies can have a politics – even a morality – ‘designed into’ them. We will see how these notions apply to some heated public debates, including human enhancement, privacy online, and smartphone etiquette. And we will consider such questions as ‘what is the relationship between technology and the good life?’, and ‘how does technology shape our own experience of the world?