ISSUES AND CONSEQUENCES OF TECHNOLOGY
- In contrast, Heidegger describes modern
Martin Heidegger
- Born 1889
- The Question of Technology:
1. Technology is a means to an end.
2. Technology is a human activity.
- He was born on September 26, 1889 in Messkirch,
Germany.
- His academic life started with him studying
theology at the University of Freiburg.
- However, in 1911, he shifted his focus to
philosophy.
- He is most known for his works on
phenomenology and existentialism.
- His Being and Time (1927) is considered as one of
the most important works of the 20th century.
The Question Concerning Technology.
- Here he draws our attention to technology’s place
in bringing about our decline by constricting our
experience of things as they are.
- He argues that we now view nature and humans
only too technologically, only as raw materials for
technical operations.
- He believes that modern civilization has been
shackled. He, however, offers a solution. It does
not involve rejecting technology per se, but rather
only perceiving its danger.
Technology
- in Heidegger’s work, is a poeises that reveals the
truth.
TERMS:
1. Aletheia- unhiddenness or disclosure
2. Poiesis- bringing forth
3. Aristotle: Producing something for a purpose.
4. Techne- skill, art or craft
Modern Technology and Our Relationship with Nature
technology as challenging since it is overly
aggressive in its activity.
- Through technology, we have become overly
aggressive in extracting resources from nature
and changing the landscape.
Kreutzer puts it this way:
- “Modern technology views Earth as a huge gas
station representative of the extraction, drilling
and rape of Mother Nature.”
Modern Technology and its Impact on Our Relations
with One Another
Remember that time when Nokia, then dominating the
cellphone industry, went by the tagline “Connecting
people?”
Heidegger also stated that Questioning
- is the piety of thought.
- As modern technology brings forth the truth, it
can cause us to engage in deep thinking and
reflection.
Questioning Modern Technology
1. Preventing us from living in the moment.
2. Modern technology enframes us.
Technology
- is usually thought of as that which solves
problems.
- But Heidegger asserts it is something we must
question. If our dependence on technology is
causing us to over consume and be aggressive in
extracting resources from the environment, if it
leads us to be wasteful, if it causes us to pollute
our planet, then technology has indeed consumed
our humanity.
- However, Heidegger is not telling us to reject
technology altogether.
Technology
- should build bridges between us, open means for
healthy discussion and exchange of ideas.
- It should not keep us from effectively
communicating with each other.
Enframing
- tends to block poeisis.
- Modern technology tends to keep us from seeing
artistry and poetry in nature.
- If we just see technological advances as merely a
way to meet our needs or make life easy for us, we
fail to appreciate the artistry and the poetry
behind these advancements.
Heidegger proposes art as a way out of this enframing.
Art
- enables us to see poetry in nature.
- It causes us to meditate on the role of technology
in our life.
- We stop looking at it merely as a means to an
end, as something that we use.
BEFORE: OUR ANCESTORS LIVED IN HARMONY
WITH NATURE
- THE LOST RIVERS AND LAKES OF
PAMPANGA, TARLAC AND BULACAN by
Robby Tantinco
Wetlands of Pampanga
- “pampang”
- People on the river banks.
- Thriving communities living along the banks of
Pampanga River.
1. Pampanga and Guagua Rivers
2. Candaba Swamps
3. Bangkung Malapad Estuary, Sasmuan, Pampanga
4. Consuelo, Macabebe
BUT NOW, THE ONLY TIME WE THINK ABOUT
THESE RIVERS IS WHEN WE BLAME THEM FOR
FLOODS.
- Plastic Pollution in our Rivers
The Way Forward: Some Selected Philosophical
Thoughts to Guide Our Way
Since we used philosophy as a means to reflect on how
science and technology had affected us as human
persons, we will also turn to it for some guidance as we
move forward with science and technology.
Confucianism
- started in the 6th Century BCE in China by
- The core belief of Confucianism is that all human
beings are essentially good.
- also does not involve believing in one
all-powerful being or deity because this may not
be enough to cause someone to choose what is
right.
- He instead advocated a strict code of ethics to live
a life of peace and prosperity.
Confucius (K’ung-fu-Tze or Master Kong).
- He is considered as one of the greatest
philosophers of the Hundred Schools of Thought.
Being Good
- means knowing the difference between right and
wrong. This causes us to have moral standards
and the lack thereof, causes us to do immoral
things.
- The way out of this is to live a life which adheres
to an ethical code which also includes the
observance of rituals.
- also means having the tendency to do what is
right most especially under difficult situations.
He called this code the Five Constants and Four
Virtues:
1. Ren- benevolence
2. Yi- righteousness
3. Li- ritual
4. Zhi- knowledge
5. Xin- integrity
1. Xiao- filial love and piety
2. Zhong- loyalty
3. Jie- contingency
4. Yi- justice/righteousness
These are all equal in their importance,
but everything begins with filial love and piety,
- meaning everything begins in the family.
- It is in the family that we learn how to be humble
and kind.
- Eventually, what we learn in the family, we also
practice in the community.
- We begin to act with benevolence and kindness
towards the world around us- the environment
and other people.
- When this happens, harmony exists in society.
Taoism
- or Daoism is often associated with the
Daode-jin (Tao Te Ching)
- a text often attributed to Laozi (Lao Tzu) though
now we know that he was not alone in writing
this sometime in the 3rd or 4th Century BCE.
“dao”
- is a way of path that is the appropriate way to
behave and lead others.
Chi
- One basic belief is on the universal energy of chi.
- The chi is the life-giving force from the dynamic
balance between the yin and the yang.
Yin
- is said to be dark, feminine and passive.
Yang
- is light, masculine and active.
Heaven is yang and Earth is yin. The balance between
these two forces that allows the chi to flow is believed to
be needed to achieve good health, fortune and prosperity.
Taoism
- also believes that man must place his will in
harmony with the natural universe.
Tao
- is a principle which embraces nature.
Yin-Yang diagram
- encourages us to work with natural forces, to
always deal with life in a natural manner.
Zoroastrianism
- is a monotheistic (one-God) faith
- established by Zoroaster in Persia between
1500-1000 BCE).
- It holds that there is only one supreme being
named Ahura Mazda who created and sustains
everything.
- It is based on the principle that goodness is
expressed as Good Thoughts, Good Words, and
Good Deeds.
As long as one follows the precepts of Ahura Mazda, one
lives a happy, fulfilling life. Not doing so will cause
suffering and confusion. This is done by:
- Telling the truth always
- Being charitable
- Showing love for others
- Moderation in all things (in way of life, food, etc)
Funerals
- are quiet and moderate.
- The corpse is cared for at home.
There is also the rite called sagdid or “glance of the
dog.”
- A dog is brought into the room to scare away evil
spirits.
The body is then carried out of the house and placed in
structures called Towers of Silence.
- It is forbidden to allow the body to lay on the
ground.
- On the Towers of Silence, the body is left exposed
to the elements, to be picked clean by vultures.
Once only the bones are left, these are collected
and buried.
This is a far cry from the traditional, chemical-heavy
practice of embalming and burial we do especially here
in the Philippines.
Embalming
- involves pumping the dead body with chemicals
to slow down decomposition for the wake.
Cremation
- involves producing a lot of emissions when the
body is burned.
Catholicism and Laudato Si’
Laudato Si’
- is the encyclical letter of Pope Francis on the
care of our common home.
- Laudato Si’, mi Signore means “praise be to you,
my Lord.”
- This is derived from the canticle of Saint Francis
of Assisi which reminds us that our common
home is like a sister with whom we share our life
and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to
embrace us.
- He appealed for a new inclusive dialogue on how
we are affecting our planet.
- He mentioned attitudes that obstruct our vision
and prevent us from solving the problem.
- This ranges from denial of the environmental
problems to indifference, giving up that the
problem will ever be solved to resting one’s
confidence on purely scientific solutions.
- The encyclical also includes a discourse on
pressing environmental problems plaguing our
planets and how all of these have led to the
decline in our quality of life and also led to
inequalities in our society.
- Environmental problems tend to expose the
injustices present in our society, how some
vulnerable sectors and communities are deprived
of their rights to access basic needs such as food,
shelter, and health care. These are the very
communities that are often hardest and first to be
hit by environmental disasters.
- He appealed that everyone acknowledges the
great contribution of humanity to the
deterioration of our environment.
In 2016, Pope Francis
- declared acts of care for our common home as a
corporal and spiritual work of mercy.
- This means that acts of kindness towards the
environment is one way to follow Jesus.
Summary
- We have become holders and beneficiaries of
scientific knowledge.
- Modern technology is aggressive in its activities
and can block our experience of what is true.
- Modern technology is something we should
continuously question.