Philosophy of Technology: An introduction for technology and business students is an accessible guide to technology’s changes , their ubiquitousness, and the many questions these raise. Designed for those with no philosophical background in mind, it is ideal for technology and engineering students or specialists who want to learn to think critically about how their work influences society and our daily lives. The technological, business environment and daily experiences are the starting point of the book and the authors’ reflect upon these practices from a philosophical point of view. The text goes on to present a critical analysis of the subject including development, manufacturing, sales and marketing and the use of technological products and services. The abstract ideas are made easier to grasp with a story-telling approach: a vivid history of the discipline and colourful portraits of the core thinkers in this domain, as well as four case studies drawing from various engineering disciplines to demonstrate how philosophy can and should influence technology in practice. The first comprehensive introduction to this vibrant young sub-discipline in over 20 years, this is an ideal textbook for students of technology and engineering beginning a course or project in the philosophy of their subject.

The Handbook Philosophy of Technology and Engineering Sciences addresses numerous issues in the emerging field of the philosophy of those sciences that are involved in the technological process of designing, developing and making of new technical artifacts and systems. These issues include the nature of design, of technological knowledge, and of technical artifacts, as well as the toolbox of engineers. Most of these have thus far not been analyzed in general philosophy of science, which has traditionally but inadequately regarded technology as mere applied science and focused on physics, biology, mathematics and the social sciences. - First comprehensive philosophical handbook on technology and the engineering sciences - Unparalleled in scope including explorative articles - In depth discussion of technical artifacts and their ontology - Provides extensive analysis of the nature of engineering design - Focuses in detail on the role of models in technology

The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Technology gives readers a view into this increasingly vital and urgently needed domain of philosophical understanding, offering an in-depth collection of leading and emerging voices in the philosophy of technology. The thirty-two contributions in this volume cut across and connect diverse philosophical traditions and methodologies. They reveal the often-neglected importance of technology for virtually every subfield of philosophy, including ethics, epistemology, philosophy of science, metaphysics, aesthetics, philosophy of language, and political theory. The Handbook also gives readers a new sense of what philosophy looks like when fully engaged with the disciplines and domains of knowledge that continue to transform the material and practical features and affordances of our world, including engineering, arts and design, computing, and the physical and social sciences. The chapters reveal enduring conceptual themes concerning technology's role in the shaping of human knowledge, identity, power, values, and freedom, while bringing a philosophical lens to the profound transformations of our existence brought by innovations ranging from biotechnology and nuclear engineering to artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and robotics. This new collection challenges the reader with provocative and original insights on the history, concepts, problems, and questions to be brought to bear upon humanity's complex and evolving relationship to technology.

Friedrich Rapp, in this magisterial and critical essay on technology, the complex human phenomenon that demands philosophy of science, philosophy of culture, moral insight, and historical sensi tivity for its understanding, writes modestly of the grave and ten tative situation in the philosophy of technology. Despite the pro found thinkers who have devoted time and imagination and ratio nal penetration, despite the massive literature now available, the varied and comparative viewpoints of political, analytic, despite metaphysical, cultural, even esthetic commitments, indeed despite the honest joining of historical and systematic methods of inves tigation, we are far from a satisfactory understanding of the joys and sorrows, the achievements and disappointments, of the tech nological saga of human societies. Professor Rapp has prepared this report on the philosophical understanding of technology for a troubled world; if ever philosophy were needed, it is in the prac tical attempt to find alternatives among technologies, to foresee dangers and opportunities, to choose with a sense of the possibil ity of fulfilling humane values. Emerson spoke of the scholar not as a specialist apart, but as 'Man thinking' and Rapp's essay so speaks to all of us, industrial world or third world, engineers or humanists, tired or energetic, fearful or optimistic.

Collects the important works of both the forerunners and contemporary theorists of philosophy of technology, addressing a wide range of topics on technology as it relates to ethics, politics, human nature, computers, science, food, and the environment.

The corps of philosophers who make up the Society for Philosophy & Technology has now been collaborating, in one fashion or another, for almost fifteen years. In addition, the number of philosophers, world-wide, who have begun to focus their analytical skills on technology and related social problems grows increasingly every year. {It would certainly swell the ranks if all of them joined the Society!) It seems more than ap propriate, in this context, to publish a miscellaneous volume that em phasizes the extraordinary range and diversity of contemporary contribu tions to the philosophical understanding of the exceedingly complex phenomenon that is modern technology. My thanks, once again, to the anonymous referees who do so much to maintain standards for the series. And thanks also to the secretaries - Mary Imperatore and Dorothy Milsom - in the Philosophy Department at the University of Delaware; their typing and retyping of the MSS, and especially notes and references, also contributes to keeping our standards high. PAUL T. DURBIN vii Paul T. Durbin (ed.), Philosophy ofT echnology, p. vii.

Technology is increasingly subject of attention from philosophers. Philosophical reflection on technology exhibits a wide and at times bewildering array of approaches and modes of thought. This volume brings to light the development of three schools in the philosophy of technology. Based on thorough introductions to Karl Marx', Martin Heidegger's and John Dewey's thought about technology, the volume offers an in-depth account of the way thinkers in the critical, the phenomenological and the pragmatic schools have respond to issues and challenges raised by the works of the founders of these schools. Technologies in almost any aspect of human life is potentially subject of philosophical treatment. To offer a focused demonstration of key arguments and insights, the presentation of each school is concluded with a contribution to discussions of educational technologies. In addition to philosophers seeking a valuable and clear structuring of a still burgeoning field, the volume is of interest to those working with educational philosophy and value sensitive design. „Stig Børsen Hansen’s book is a must for all interested in understanding the development of the philosophy of technology and the relation of thoughts of thinkers that have shaped the area. The author presents a new and refreshing take on the ideas from Marx to Marcuse, from Dewey to Latour, and Heidegger to Borgmann. It will engage and hopefully provoke." Dr. Jan Kyrre Berg Friis, University of Copenhagen

In this widely taught introductory survey, Frederick Ferré explains the fundamental concerns and methods of philosophy and then guides readers through a philosophical inquiry into some of the major issues surrounding technology's impact on our lives. The first half of the book concentrates on key definitions and epistemological issues, including an overview of philosophy as applied to technology, a definition of technology, and an examination of technology as it relates to practical and theoretical intelligence--especially how high technology relates to modern science and how science depends on technical craft. The second half addresses the problems of living with technology. Ferré contrasts Karl Marx's and Buckminster Fuller's "bright" visions of technology and modern existence with the "somber" visions of Martin Heidegger and Herbert Marcuse. Next, in offering direction for an ethical assessment of technology, Ferré poses questions about workplace automation, computers, nuclear energy, Third World development, and genetic engineering. Finally, the book considers debates about the mutual influences between technology and religion, and technology and metaphysics. A glossary and a list of suggested further readings are included. Providing a philosophical framework that will remain timely in the face of rapid technological change, Philosophy of Technology will help students in both the sciences and liberal arts to examine comprehensively their own and society's fundamental beliefs and attitudes about technology.

This book provides an introduction to the philosophy of technology that is accessible to non-philosophers. It offers a survey of the current state-of-affairs in the philosophy of technology and also discusses the relevance of that for teaching about technology. The book includes questions and assignments and offers an extensive annotated bibliography for those who want to read more about the discipline.