Martin Heidegger’s the Question Concerning Technology

Ever since the invention of the wheel to the use of microchips in computers and mobiles,
technology has come a long way. Technology is basically the way we execute the discoveries of
science and blend it with our own needs. It is a general term used to refer to the different tools,
machines and equipment we use in everyday life. However, there are also many issues related to
technology and many people have different ideas about this. One example here is Martin
Heidegger who is considered to be one of the most influential philosophers of the 20 th century
made a work entitled “The Question Concerning Technology” wherein it contains the essence of
technology.
Sometimes we don’t even think twice about what technology does for us every day. It is
even taken for granted. We think of technology as a means to an end otherwise known as
“instrumental” and a human activity otherwise known as the “anthropological” which imply
causality. However, according to Heidegger, technology is neither a means to an end nor a
human activity instead it is a mode of being or of revealing. It means that technological things
have their own kind of presence, endurance and connections among parts and wholes. They have
their own way of presenting themselves and the world in which they operate. Humans are not
just pure knowers instead we have goals, lives, etc.

We all use technology on a daily basis. While using it, certain things are revealed to me
aside from its function. Aside from function, I realized technology’s importance. It is basically
the reason on why our world continues to evolve daily. Technology on the other hand has its
negative effects on us. Let us say for example because everyone can access Internet in their
computers and mobile phones, some people tend to do bad things online while being anonymous.
Also, many became more dependent on these technologies and I am one of them sometimes.
Moreover, technology provides us satisfaction like the easily communication of anyone with just
a blink of an eye. Being a student, this provides educational advantages since information are
one click away and encyclopedias and dictionaries can easily be downloaded.

Due to the continuous developments in this field, technology should be questioned in

order for us to break its chains and be free. This does not mean the absence of technology but
through a better understanding of its essence and meaning. If we do not question it then there is a
higher chance of humans becoming as resources or slaves of technology through time.

Questioning is the piety of thought because the more we question, the more that we
supply knowledge in ourselves and others. There is a continuous inquiry for understanding, for
searching and discovering the nature of truth for us to know and all we will do in our modern
generation is to look forward and investigate continually. Martin Heidegger’s Question
Concerning Technology can be therefore best defined as a systematic attempt to challenge the
concept of technology with a view of gaining an understanding on the nature of the thing rather
than merely understanding it as an instrument or a means.
 Ultimately, Heidegger wanted to revive an earlier understanding of technology.
According to him, understanding technology as enframing (turning everything into a consumable
or disposable resource) ignores a more holistic understanding of technology. As he points out,
technology means artistic skill or craftsmanship

Therefore, Heidegger suggests, if we see technology as an art, we come across a valuable

insight. As an art, it is more than a thing. It is a relationship as well meaning that it is an aesthetic
and ethical way of relating to nature and society. If that insight is right, then as we use
technology to extract resources, we should also make sure we are not inflicting damage in the
process. For instance, on the environment like creating pollution or upon treating other workers
like machines.

As a philosopher, what Heidegger was implying is that at the end of the day, we cannot
separate technology from human values. And that is what the philosophy of technology is all
about.

References:
Mark Blitz, “Understanding Heidegger on Technology”, The New Atlantis, Number 41, Winter 2014, pp.
63-80
Cocchiarella, Christopher. (2019, March 17). Heidegger on the Essence of Technology: What is
technology, really?. Retrieved from https://mindfultechnics.com/heidegger/
Heidegger, Martin. “The question concerning technology (W. Lovitt, Trans.) The question concerning
technology: and other essays (pp. 3-35).” (1977).