دانلود کتاب The Metaphysics of Technology

What is technology? Why does it have such power in our lives? Why does it
seemingly progress of its own accord, and without regard to social or environmental
well-being? The quest for the essence of technology is an old one,
with roots in the pre-Socratic philosophy of ancient Greece. It was then that
certain thinkers first joined the ideas of technê and logos into a single world-view.
The Greeks saw it as a kind of world-force, present both in the works
of men and in nature itself. It was the very creative power of the cosmos.
In the 20th century, German thinkers like Dessauer, Juenger, and Heidegger
sought the metaphysical basis of technology, with varying success. French
theologian Jacques Ellul argued persuasively that technology was an autonomous
force of nature that determined all aspects of human existence, but he
neglected the metaphysical underpinnings. Recent writers in the philosophy
of technology have generally eschewed metaphysics altogether, preferring to
concentrate on constructivist models or pragmatic analyses.
In the present work, Skrbina returns to a classic metaphysical approach,
seeking not so much an essence of technology but rather a deep and penetrating
analysis of the entire technological phenomenon. Drawing on the
Greeks, he argues for a teleological metaphysics in which increasing order in
the universe is itself defined as a technological process. On this reading, all
of reality constitutes a technical sphere, a ‘pantechnikon,’ of universal scope.
This work—the first-ever book-length treatment of the topic—breaks new
ground by providing an in-depth and critical study of the metaphysics of
technology, as well as drawing out the practical consequences. Technology
poses significant risks to humanity and the planet, risks that can be mitigated
through a detailed philosophical analysis.