American Philosophy of Technology The Empirical Turn [Paperback]

Introduces contemporary American philosophy of technology through six of its leading figures. The six American philosophers of technology whose work is profiled in this clear and concise introduction to the fieldAlbert Borgmann, Hubert Dreyfus, Andrew Feenberg, Donna Haraway, Don Ihde, and Langdon Winnerrepresent a new, empirical direction in the philosophical study of technology that has developed mainly in North America. In place of the grand philosophical schemes of the classical generation of European philosophers of technology (including Martin Heidgger, Jacques Ellul, and Hans Jonas), the contemporary American generation addresses concrete technological practices and the co-evolution of technology and society in modern culture. Six Dutch philosophers associated with Twente University survey and critique the full scope and development of their American colleagues work, often illustrating shifts from earlier to more recent interests. Individual chapters focus on Borgmanns engagement with technology and everyday life; Dreyfuss work on the limits of artificial intelligence; Feenbergs perspectives on the cultural and social possibilities opened by technologies; Haraways conception of the cyborg and its attendant blurring of boundaries; Ihdes explorations of the place of technology in the lifeworld; and Winners fascination with the moral and political implications of modern technologies. American Philosophy of Technology offers an insightful and readable introduction to this new and distinctly American philosophical turn.

Contributors are Hans Achterhuis, Philip Brey, Ren? Munnik, Martijntje Smits, Pieter Tijmes, and Peter-Paul Verbeek.

Preliminary Table of Contents:

Foreword Don Ihde
Introduction: American Philosophers of Technology Hans Achterhuis
1. Albert Borgmann: Technology and the Character of Everyday Life Pieter Tijmes
2. Hubert Dreyfus: Humans Versus Computers Philip Brey
3. Andrew FeenberglÃ4