Andrew Feenberg
604-291-5169
Philosophy of Technology: CMNS 857
This course will introduce philosophy of
technology through literature, major texts in the Continental tradition, and
recent approaches to technology studies in the social sciences. We will begin with Aldous
Huxley’s famous novel Brave New World
which lays out in narrative form the dystopian terms of 20th Century
technology critique. The domination of man by machine is the theme. A dystopian
logic of technology underlies the philosophical work of Heidegger and his
student Marcuse. Marcuse’s theory, however, opens up the possibility of a
radical transformation of technology. With Habermas we have a very different
attempt to come to terms with the existing technology by limiting its reach.
Foucault approaches similar issues of science and technology based domination
from a more empirical standpoint. He relates the acquisition of social
knowledge to the exercise of power through procedures and devices. His work
will help us to interpret the contributions of recent science and technology
studies, represented here by Pinch and Bijker and Latour. We will conclude with
my own book which draws on all these sources to present an approach I call
“critical constructivism.”
Format: This is a graduate seminar. There
will be lectures, student presentations, and discussion. Students are expected
to participate actively. Grading will be based on participation (50%) and a
research paper (50%).
Articles in Reader or on line:
Pinch and Bijker, "The Social
Construction of Facts and Artifacts"
Habermas, “Technology and Science as
‘Ideology’”
Latour, “Where are the Missing Masses?”
Foucault, “Truth and Power,” “The Subject
and Power”
Feenberg, “Democratic Rationalization,” “From
Information to Communication,” “The Factory or the City: Which Model for Online
Education,” “Marcuse and the Critique of Technology”
Heidegger, “Traditional Language and
Technological Language”
Dreyfus, “Heidegger on Gaining a Free
Relation to Technology”
Books:
Heidegger, The Question Concerning Technology
Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man
Feenberg, Questioning Technology
Huxley, Brave
Latour, We Have Never Been Modern
Reading List by week:
1. Feenberg, “Democratic Rationalization,”
Feenberg, Questioning Technology,
preface, chap. 1
2. Huxley, Brave
3. Heidegger, “Traditional Language and
Technological Language,” Dreyfus, “Heidegger on Gaining a Free Relation to
Technology,” Feenberg, Questioning
Technology, chap. 8
4. Heidegger, The Question Concerning Technology, “The Question Concerning
Technology”
5. Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man
6. Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man
7. Habermas, “Technology and Science as
‘Ideology,’” Feenberg, Questioning
Technology, chap. 7.
8. Foucault, “Truth and Power,” “The
Subject and Power”
9. Pinch and Bijker, "The Social
Construction of Facts and Artifacts,"
10. Feenberg, "The Factory or the City:
Which Model for Online Education," Feenberg "From Information to
Communication."
11. Latour, “Where are the Missing
Masses?”, Latour, We Have Never Been
Modern
12. Feenberg, Questioning Technology, chaps. 4,5,6,9
Some extra time is allowed for additional
materials to be decided by the class.