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• Technology has always been defined as a means to an end and

being a human activity.
• It has long filled the word.Everyday routines are marked with
technological advances that reflect what a society is good or
known for.Technology has well advanced since the middle of the
THE HUMAN PERSON 20th
• Century especially after the end of world war II. It is not
FLOURISHING IN TERMS OF unexpected for technology to involve question of knowledge
which lead to its formation as one of the branches of philosophy.

SCIENCE AND This also led to the furtherance of technology based on how it is
viewed and understood. But there is more to that.

TECHNOLOGY
• Aristotle, was born 304 B.C. an ancient Greek philosophy
scientist and one of the most significant thinkers and who
contributed so much to science,technology,political theory,and
aesthetics world;followed that knowledge of the world begins by
looking and examining that which exists. To understand the
human person flourishing in terms of science and technology, it
is good to first examine technology in its essence.

SELECTED VIEWS ON TECHNOLOGY ARISTOTELIANISM

•It has been said they there are many views • This views technology as basically a means to an
or ways as to how technology is end. To Aristotle,technology is the organizing of
bunderstood. These philosophies techniques in order to meet the demand that is
contributed on how technology is being posed by humans. This may seem that
technology is primarily concerned with the
understood and utilized by the society.
product. Technology will be judged as either
Some of it will be discussed briefly bellow. good or bad based on the value given to the
product based on its use and effect to the
society.
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• Although Ellul has strongly spoken of his arguments,

TECHNOLOGICAL PEMISSIMISM they are still found to be weak and not true at all
• This views is extremely supported by French philosopher times. Like when he said that technological progress
Jacques Ellul (1912-1994). can create more problems than it solves, he seems to
• Technolological Pessimism holds that technology is have underestimated the objective decisions a
progressive and beneficial in many ways, it is also doubtful in
many ways. It is said that technology is a means to and end technicians, and other technological agencies makes
but this views, technology has become a way of life. regarding the technology where they weigh the good
Technique has become a framework which human cannot
escape. It has introduced ways on how to make things and bad effects it can have in the society.
easy.Ellul's pessimistic arguments are (1)
• Technological progress has a price,(2) technological progress
creates more problems, (3) technological progress creates
damaging effects, and (4) technological progress creates
unpredictable devastating effects.

TECHNOLOGICAL OPTIMISM EXISTENTIALISM

• The main concern of this view is the existence or the mode of being
• This view is strongly supported by technologist an of someone or something which is governed by the norm of
engineers and also by ordinary people who believe authenticity. This view basically investigate the meaning of
existenceor being and is always faced with the selection must make
that technology can alleviate all the difficulties and with which the existence will commit himself to.
provide solutions for problems that may come. It • Martin Heidegger, a philosopher who was briefly introduced in Unit 1
holds that even though technological problems may is one of the most known supporters of this philosophy.He did not
arise, technology will still be the sulotions to it. The stop defining what technology is but has dealt with its essence. To
Heidegger, the real essence of technology lies in enframing, the
extreme version of this philosophy is technocratism gathering of the setting upon which challenges man to bring the
which holds technology as the supreme authority on unconcealed to unconcealment and this is a continuous revealing.
everything. The next section will further discuss the view of Heidegger that
technology is a way of revealing.
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MARTIN HEIDEGGER ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY THE INSTRUMENTAL DEFINITION OF

• Martin Heidegger (1889-1996), a well-known German TECHNOLOGY
philosopher, examined the two usual definitions of • According to Heidegger, the instrumental definition of technology
technology; means to an end and a human activity, encourages us to view technology from different periods of time as not
because he believed that this kind of confusing and having fundamental differences. But he claimed that this doesnoy show the
there are question To it that we easily overlook. true essence of technology. He explained that while technology is geared
towards meeting a human needs, still there is a difference between older
These two definitions cannot be separated from each handicraft technologies with modern technology. As it is, "a saw mill on a
other. He called it the instrumental and secluded valley of the Black Forest is a primitive means compared with the
anthropological definition of technology or simply hydroelectric plant on the Rhine River " (Heidegger,1977,p.I). Heidegger also
means by which the human ends are realized. To argued that " technology is by no means technological" and should not be
seen as merely neutral. The problem begins when humans see it only as a
Heidegger, this may not be a false definition but it is a means to an end and disregard the fact that there is a good technology and
misleading one because this limits our thinking. a bad technology.

• Another problem Heidegger saw in the instrumental definition of technology is

ARISTOTLE’S FOUR CAUSES

that it only invites man to a continual desire to master it which unconsciously
may be making technology go out of hand.Heidegger said," Everything depends
on our manipulating technology in the proper manner as a means. We will, as
we say, 'get' technology 'spiritually in hand'. We will master it. The will to • Heidegger further studied Aristotle's Four causes and illustrated it using a silver
mastery becomes the more urgent the more technology threatens to slip from chalice which he said owes its make up from the four causes.
human control." (Heidegger, 1977,p.I) with this,the argued that the problem
does not fall on making technology better but on how man sets upon • 1.Causa materialis or the material cause
technology, his thoughts that makes him blind to the real essence of • The material by which the silver chalice was made of:silver.
technology.
• For Heidegger, this correct definition of technology is insufficient as it doest not • 2.Causa Formalis or the formal cause
bring out its real essence. He said,"In order that we may arrive at this, or at • The form of the shape that gave the silver chalice its image.
least come close to it, we must seek the true by way of the correct. We must • 3. Causa Finalis or the final cause
ask:what is the instrumental itself? Within what do such things as means and
end belong? (1977,p.2) In answering these question, Heidegger arrived at a • The purpose or the primary use by which the silver chalice was made for:
discussion of causality which to him in reality initially involves four ways that to be used during the Holy Communion as a vessel for the wine that represent
leads for something to exist or to be"caused". the blood of Christ.
• 4. Causa Efficient or the Efficient Cause
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• The agent that has caused for the silver chalice to come about: the
silversmith. HEIDEGGER’S TECHNOLOGY AS A WAY OF
• The four causes are all deemed responsible for the bringing forth of the REVEALING
silver chalice. This bringing forth of something is termed as poiesis and this is
characterized by an external force. It is bringing something concealed to • Heidegger believed that the genuine substance or the real
uncealment which then makes technology as not only means to an end but essence of technology is found in enframing. This is the
also a mode of revealing. continuous bringing forth into unconcealment that which is
• The silver chalice was bought forth by the silver, by its form, for its concealed. This is a non-stop revealing. Heidegger saw
purpose,by the silversmith. External factors have caused for the silver chalice technology as a way of revealing and continues to demand
to be brought forth. On the other hand, something that came about without for something to be bought out into the open. This bringing
any external forced, like a flower blooming in the field or a tree bearing its
fruit is termed physics. The flower blossomed and the tree bore fruit even
forth into the open is a two-way relationship: the concealed
without external help. is calling out for someone to set upon it and bring it to
unconcealment and the one who receives the call sets upon
and acts upon to unconceal the concealed.

• To further illustrate this, he gave some examples through contrasting

ancient and modern technology. First he talked about the ancient windmill • Because of this continuous revealing, Heidegger also
which only relies on the wind blowing and does not store energy which can pointed out the danger that comes with technology. The
be for immediate use and can also be stored up for future use. Second, call to unconceal that which is concealed is also causing
was about the peasant planting seeds who only waits for the bringing forth something to be concealed even more. And as one tries to
of the planted seed because there is no challenge set upon soil. Modern
technology of cultivation on the other hand, challenged the field that has understand something, there is the tendency to be closed
caused for agriculture to be revolutionized. Now, food is not only produced to the counterpart of which is being opened to him. There
for immediate use but can be stored as well for future use and could cater is also tendency for man to misunderstand the thing that is
more population. Third, is about the wooden bridge is built to join river for
banks for hundreds of years without challenges being set upon the river. being unconcealed before him. Here, Heidegger calls for
While on the other hand, the hydroelectric plant that was set on Rhine man to be more discerning and considerate of the things
River dammed the river into into the hydroelectric plant so that electrical that is being unconcealed before him and those that have
energy can be stored and distributed. relationship with that thing being unconcealed.
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• Unlock and expose. It carries the idea that nature will not reveal
THE MODE OF REVEALING IN MODERN itself unless challenge is set upon it. This is true with the
TECHNOLOGY hydroelectric plant set upon the Rhine River which unlocked the
electricity concealed in it.
• Heidegger explained that technology as a mode of
• Stock piles for future use. As technology is a means to an end, it
revealing doest not stop and continues to be seen in aims to meet future demands, the electricity produced by the
modern technology but not in the bringing-forth hydroelectric plant set upon the Rhine River is being stored for
sense. This is a nonstop revealing. Modern technology future use in the community. Modern technology are now able to
is revealed by challenging nature, instead of bringing get more from nature bynchellenging it. As Heidegger (1997) said,
forth, it is setting upon challenges or demands on " Such challenging happens in that energy concealed in nature in
nature in order to: unblocked is transformed, what is transformed is stored up, what
is stored up is distributed , and what is distributed is switched
about ever a new"

THE ESSENCE OF TECHNOLOGY THE DANGER OF THE NONSTOP

• The continuous revealing takes place as man allows himself to be an agent in
REVEALING
the setting upon of challenges to nature but Heidegger(1977) argues that this • As said earlier, the mode of revealing does not stop in modern
is not more human doing. Man is able to set upon which was already technology. It continually calls man to respond to what is presented to
unconcealed as he responds to the call of unconcealment but "when man, him or to the demand for a better and efficient means to an end. With
investigating, observing , pursues nature as an area of his own conceiving, he this comes the continuous challenging forth for the unconcealed to be
has already been claimed by a way of revealing that challenges him to unconcealed even more. Here lies the danger that Heidegger talked
approach nature as an object of research, until even the object disappears about.
into the objectlessness of standing- reserve .
• This gathering of the setting-upon which challenges man to bring the • Revealing opens up a relationship between man and the word but an
unconcealed to unconcealment is called enframing with which according to opening up of something means a closing down of something which
Heidegger, also shows the essence of modern technology. Enframing is means as something is revealed, another is concealed. An example
basically putting in order whatever is presented to the man who sets upon the given by Heidegger on this "the rise of a cause-effect understanding of
unconcealed but it is a two-way relationship: man cannot set himself upon reality closes" off an understanding of God as something mysterious
unconcealment without unconcealment's call and the unconcealed will not go and holy: God is reduced to 'the god of the philosophers"(Cerbone,
into unconcealment without the man responding to its call. This makes 2008).
modern technology not a mere human doing and with this Heidegger argued
that the essence of technology lies in enframing.
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• Another danger is when man falls into a THE SOCIETY IN THE FACE OF SCIENCE AND
misinterpretation of that which is presented to him. TECHNOLOGY
That is when he sees himself in the object before him
rather than seeing the object itself. There is also the • When one looks around him now, he will see that man tends to
tendency for man to be fully engrossed with the find his happiness in the works of modern technology. Smart
enframing that he fails to weigh the results and phones,tablets, laptops that come in different shapes and sizes
consequences of his setting upon an object which may with distinct features seem to be the measure of man's value.
be distructive not only to himself but even to the Social media has also affected the life on many. Face to face social
surroundings and other people. This happens when he interactions are being lessened and people keep working hard to
starts to believe that everything in the human update their gadgets. There seems to be no contentment as every
condition can be answered by technology and that time a new product is released, man finds another need that can
even man's happiness is dependent on the continuous only be answered by a new product. These new products also tend
modernization of technology. to replace man in the society as the demand for manual labor is
becoming less and less because of the availability of machineries.

• The human condition is not of without hope. Heidegger argued that

this can be prevented if man will not allow himself to be
overwhelmed with the enframing that he was set upon, but he
pause for a while and reflect on the value of what is presented
before him. A balance has to be struck between technology being
instrumental and anthropological. One has to understand that
technology does not only concern the means but also the end as
one proverb goes, "The end does not justify the means" For
Heidegger, the solution for this is that man would not be controlling
and manipulative of what he was set upon but to also allow nature
to reveal itself to him. With this, according to Heidegger , man will
have free relationship with technology.