scholarly journals Beyond the Empirical Turn: Elements for an Ontology of Engineering

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 74
Author(s):  
Agostino Cera
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Technology ◽  
Final Outcome ◽  
The Self ◽  
Nominative Case ◽  
Positive Science ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Empirical Turn

This paper aims to sketch a critical historicisation of the empirical turn in the philosophy of technology. After presenting Achterhuis’s definition of the empirical turn, I show how its final outcome is an ontophobic turn, i.e. a rejection of Heidegger’s legacy. Such a rejection culminates in the Mr Wolfe Syndrome, the metamorphosis of the philosophy of technology into a positive science which, in turn, depends on an engineerisation/problematisation of reality, i.e. the eclipse of the difference between ‘problem’ and ‘question’. My objection is that if Technology as such becomes nothing, then the paradoxical accomplishment of the empirical turn is the self-suppression of the philosophy of technology. As a countermovement, I propose an ontophilic turn, i.e. the establishment of a philosophy of technology in the nominative case whose first step consists in a Heidegger renaissance.

The Technocene or Technology as (Neo)Environment

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agostino Cera ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Technology ◽  
The Other ◽  
Current Form ◽  
Nominative Case ◽  
The Core ◽  
The World ◽  
Conditio Humana ◽  
The One ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract: While putting forward the proposal of a “philosophy of technology in the nominative case,” grounded on the concept of Neoenvironmentality, this paper intends to argue that the best definition of our current age is not “Anthropocene.” Rather, it is “Technocene,” since technology represents here and now the real “subject of history” and of (a de-natured) nature, i.e. the (neo)environment where man has to live.This proposal culminates in a new definition of man’s humanity and of technology. Switching from natura hominis to conditio humana, the peculiarity of man can be defined on the basis of an anthropic perimeter, the core of which consists of man’s worldhood: man is that being that has a world (Welt), while animal has a mere environment (Umwelt). Both man’s worldhood and animal’s environmentality are derived from a pathic premise, namely the fundamental moods (Grundstimmungen) that refer them to their respective findingness (Befindlichkeit).From this anthropological premise, technology emerges as the oikos of contemporary humanity. Technology becomes the current form of the world – and so gives birth to a Technocene – insofar as it introduces in any human context its ratio operandi and so assimilates man to an animal condition, i.e. an environmental one. Technocene corresponds on the one side to the emergence of technology as (Neo)environment and on the other to the feralization of man. The spirit of Technocene turns out to be the complete redefinition of the anthropic perimeter.While providing a non-ideological characterization of the current age, this paper proposes the strategy of an ‘anthropological conservatism,’ that is to say a pathic desertion understood as a possible (pre)condition for the beginning of an authentic Anthropocene, i.e. the age of an-at-last-entirely-human-man.

The Ontophobic Turn

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
pp. 90-100
Author(s):  
Agostino Cera ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Second Generation ◽  
Philosophy Of Technology ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Constructivist Approach ◽  
Philosophical Approach ◽  
Nominative Case ◽  
American Philosophy ◽  
Stage Process ◽  
The Right ◽  
Empirical Turn

My paper sketches a critical historcization of the post-heideggerian philosophy of technology, i.e. of the so called Empirical Turn. In particular, I emphasize its Ontophobic Outcome and its consequent Genetivization. In 1997 Hans Achterhuis publishes a volume (American Philosophy of Technology: The Empirical Turn), which presents an overview of the post-continental (i.e. American) philosophy of technology. Achterhuis argues that from the eighties of the last century the philosophy of technology must be traced back to its Empirical Turn, i.e. its rejection of the essentialist approach inspired by Heidegger. The Empirical Turn, or the second generation of philosophers of technology, is characterized by a pragmatist, optimistic and constructivist approach. My thesis is that during these 35 years the Empirical Turn has proven to be an Ontophobic Turn. By this expression, I mean an over-reaction against Heidegger’s legacy. This over-reaction consists of a two-stage process. On one side we have the rejection of the potential ‘mystical drift’ involved in Heidegger’s approach. I consider it a legitimate rejection, i.e. a physiological parricide by the second generation of scholars, in order to free itself from a bulky legacy. However, this physiological parricide gradually turned into an illegitimate rejection, that is an over-reaction (total refuse) against Heidegger’s legacy. Such an overreaction equates to an exclusive interest in the ontic dimension of technology, i.e. an a priori disinterest in its ontological implications. These implications finally become a taboo, i.e. a real Onto-phobia. The benchmark of this change of attitude in the philosophy of technology is the lexical replacement of its object (the transition from “technology” to “technologies”) and its main outcome the “Mr Wolf Syndrome”, namely the transformation of the philosophy of technology into a problem solving activity. In turn, this syndrome produces the eclipse of the epistemic difference between “problem” and “question”, i.e. the metamorphosis of the philosophy of technology into a “positive Wissenschaft”. With reference to this state of things my objection is the following. If the philosophy of technology turns into a search for solutions of the concrete problems emerging from the single technologies, it must be admitted that this kind of activity is performed much better by ‘experts’ than by philosophers. As a result, the Ontophobic Turn culminates in the disappearance of the reason itself for a philosophical approach to the question of technology. The paradoxical fulfilment of the Empirical Turn should be therefore the self-overcoming of the philosophy of technology. To avoid the current Genetivization of the philosophy of technology is necessary a countermovement towards its Ontophobic Turn. The first step of an Ontophilic Turn (i.e. the foundation of a “Philosophy of Technology in the Nominative Case”) consists of the right metabolization of Heidegger’s legacy, i.e. of a Heidegger-renaissance within this discipline. The final goal of this renaissance is the safeguard of the Fragwürdigkeit of technology as philosophical Grundfrage.

“Technological Object” in Gilbert Simondon’s Philosophy

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 705-716
Author(s):  
Xavier Guchet ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Science And Technology Studies ◽  
Philosophy Of Technology ◽  
Rational Analysis ◽  
The Social ◽  
Major Interest ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
Technological Object ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Times ◽  
Empirical Turn

For the last twenty years, the philosophy of technology has firmly taken an “empirical turn” and has been strongly pervaded with Science and Technology Studies (STS) lessons, focusing on the social consistency of technical beings. In this context, Simondon’s approach to technology may appear a bit dated. A major issue of On the Mode of Existence of Technical Objects (MEOT) is indeed to theorize technology beyond any reference to social commitments: Simondon distinguishes “pure technicity,” amenable to rational analysis, from “psychosocial overdeterminations” that contaminate technical objects with exogenous concerns. Thus, Simondon may prove behind the times when he claims to analyze technology as a non-social realm. This article intends to demonstrate that Simondon can nevertheless fruitfully feed current debates related to technological developments. More precisely, the difference between several concepts of technological objects in MEOT proves to be of major interest for clarifying current issues related, in particular, to ethics.

scholarly journals Self-Assessment of Attitudes of the Lithuanian and European Judo Coaches and Athletes Towards Spiritual and Moral Traits of Their Personality

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (67) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alma Kisielienė ◽  
Diana Arlauskaitė
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Self Image ◽  
Personal Attitudes ◽  
Moral Behaviour ◽  
Judo Athletes ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Different Levels

The aim of the research was to identify the self-assessment of the attitudes of the judo coaches and athletes possessing different levels of mastership towards their own spiritual traits and moral behaviour. The research was based on the assumption that different levels of sport mastership as well as age might influence the self-assessment of the personal attitudes of the judo sportsmen and coaches to their own spiritual traits and moral behaviour. The research volume and organization. Following the aforementioned assumption, the four groups of the respondents were chosen: members of the Lithuanian National Youth Team of Judo (n = 20), their mean age was 17.2 ± 1.25 years; the youth elite of European judo, i.e. champions and prizewinners (n = 20), their mean age was 17.5 ± 1.6 years; Lithuanian judo coaches (n = 20), their mean age was 38.7 ± 2.8 years; and coaches of the champions and other prizewinners of contests (n = 20), their mean age was 40.5 ± 3.6 years. The main method of research was an anonymous interview in writing. A questionnaire with closed questions aiming to analyze the self-assessment of the attitudes of the Lithuanian and European judo coaches and athletes towards their own spiritual traits and moral behaviour was worked out on the basis of the semiotic models offered by J. Dailidienė (1997). The questionnaire appendices provided a clear conceptual definition of each trait (the concepts were explained on the basis of L. Jovaiša (1993 a, b) “Dictionary of Pedagogic Terms” and “Principles of Education” (1993)). The respondents were asked to mark their personal consideration of all the traits that were characteristic of them. By following Dalidienė’s suggestion, they were grouped into two blocks: the ones related with morality and the ones related with spirituality. Mathematical statistics. The data were analyzed by employing the statistic data analysis software SPSS 13.0 applying the method of descriptive statistics. The reliability of the difference between the groups was estimated on the basis of the chi square criterion. When its value was p < 0.05, the differences were regarded as statistically significant. The majority of the Lithuanian and European judo coaches and athletes included diligence (85—100%) and persistency (60—90%) into their Self-image. Lithuanian judo coaches (p < 0.05) distinguished courageousness as their common trait, whereas the European judo coaches (p < 0.05) distinguished dutifulness and fellow-feeling; a significant part of the European judo elite athletes (p < 0.05) emphasized friendliness and attentiveness.Keywords: self-assessment of judo coaches and judo athletes, spiritual features, moral features.

I Like Her, Because I Like Myself: Self-Evaluation as a Source of Interpersonal Attitudes

2003 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 239-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Walther ◽  
Claudia Trasselli
Keyword(s):  
Opposite Effect ◽  
Learning Phase ◽  
The Self ◽  
Attitude Formation ◽  
Formation Processes ◽  
False Feedback ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Group ◽  
Group A ◽  
The Difference

Abstract. Two experiments tested the hypothesis that self-evaluation can serve as a source of interpersonal attitudes. In the first study, self-evaluation was manipulated by means of false feedback. A subsequent learning phase demonstrated that the co-occurrence of the self with another individual influenced the evaluation of this previously neutral target. Whereas evaluative self-target similarity increased under conditions of negative self-evaluation, an opposite effect emerged in the positive self-evaluation group. A second study replicated these findings and showed that the difference between positive and negative self-evaluation conditions disappeared when a load manipulation was applied. The implications of self-evaluation for attitude formation processes are discussed.

The Distinction between [P] and [S]

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Galen Strawson
Keyword(s):  
Personal Identity ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Legal Responsibility ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Over Time

This chapter examines the difference between John Locke's definition of a person [P], considered as a kind of thing, and his definition of a subject of experience of a certain sophisticated sort [S]. It first discusses the equation [P] = [S], where [S] is assumed to be a continuing thing that is able to survive radical change of substantial realization, as well as Locke's position about consciousness in relation to [P]'s identity or existence over time as [S]. It argues that Locke is not guilty of circularity because he is not proposing consciousness as the determinant of [S]'s identity over time, but only of [S]'s moral and legal responsibility over time. Finally, it suggests that the terms “Person” and “Personal identity” pull apart, in Locke's scheme of things, but in a perfectly coherent way.

Kunst als reflexive Form und als reflektierende Bewegung

2010 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-86
Author(s):  
Brigitte Hilmer
Keyword(s):  
Propositional Content ◽  
The Self ◽  
Aesthetic Judgement ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Self Reference

Kunst kann dann als reflexiv interpretiert werden, wenn Reflexivität nicht auf propositionalen Gehalt oder sogar sprachliche Artikulation angewiesen ist. Reflexion tritt auf in den Modi der Selbstbeziehung des Lebendigen, des Überlegens und der Selbstreferenz im Symbolischen. Kunst ist ein Reflexionsmedium, das diese Modi beansprucht und miteinander verflicht. Eine spezifisch ästhetische Reflexivität ist von und nach Kant nach dem Vorbild der transzendentalen Reflexion und in Konkurrenz zu ihr etabliert worden. Sie läßt sich als Reflexivität des ästhetischen Urteils, als emphatisches Gemachtsein, als Rückwendung auf Wahrnehmungsvollzüge oder als Begriffsreflexion verstehen. Dabei wird die Unterscheidung von Anschauung und Verstand in deren Zusammenspiel oder Abspaltung vorausgesetzt. Von der Analogie zur transzendentalen Reflexion löst sich aber erst ein Verständnis von ästhetischer Reflexivität, das von den drei Modi und ihrer Verflechtung ausgeht.<br><br>Reflexivity does not presuppose linguistic articulation or even propositional content. If it did, art could not be called reflexive. Reflexivity can be found in the self-contact of the living, in mental reflection or in symbolic self-reference. Art is a medium which claims these different modes of reflexivity and intertwines them. Aesthetic reflexivity as such has been established by Kant and his epigones, following the model of transcendetal reflection. Thus it could be specified as the reflexive structure of aesthetic judgement, or as an emphasis on a work’s being created, or as a reference to perception itself in the process of perceiving, or as a way of reflecting concepts. Aesthetic reflexivity can only be detached from the model of transcendental reflection, if it is seen as oriented towards the interaction among the three modes of reflection mentioned above, leaving aside the difference, interplay or competition between perception and conceptual capacities.

L'anglicisme dans la langue française

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 00013
Author(s):  
Danny Susanto
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Oil Industry ◽  
English Word ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Font Size ◽  
The World ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Bibliographic Study

<p class="Abstract">The purpose of this study is to analyze the phenomenon known as&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">“anglicism”: a loan made to the English language by another language.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Anglicism arose either from the adoption of an English word as a&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">result of a translation defect despite the existence of an equivalent&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">term in the language of the speaker, or from a wrong translation, as a&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">word-by-word translation. Said phenomenon is very common&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">nowadays and most languages of the world including making use of&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">some linguistic concepts such as anglicism, neologism, syntax,&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">morphology etc, this article addresses various aspects related to&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Anglicisms in French through a bibliographic study: the definition of&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Anglicism, the origin of Anglicisms in French and the current situation,&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">the areas most affected by Anglicism, the different categories of&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Anglicism, the difference between French Anglicism in France and&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">French-speaking Canada, the attitude of French-speaking society&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">towards to the Anglicisms and their efforts to stop this phenomenon.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">The study shows that the areas affected are, among others, trade,&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">travel, parliamentary and judicial institutions, sports, rail, industrial&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">production and most recently film, industrial production, sport, oil industry, information technology,&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">science and technology. Various initiatives have been implemented either by public institutions or by&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">individuals who share concerns about the increasingly felt threat of the omnipresence of Anglicism in&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">everyday life.</span></p>

Delving into Horror

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 135-150
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
The Third ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Perception Of Time ◽  
Definition Of

The springboard for this essay is the author’s encounter with the feeling of horror and her attempts to understand what place horror has in philosophy. The inquiry relies upon Leonid Lipavsky’s “Investigation of Horror” and on various textual plunges into the fanged and clawed (and possibly noumenal) abyss of Nick Land’s work. Various experiences of horror are examined in order to build something of a typology, while also distilling the elements characteristic of the experience of horror in general. The essay’s overall hypothesis is that horror arises from a disruption of the usual ways of determining the boundaries between external things and the self, and this leads to a distinction between three subtypes of horror. In the first subtype, horror begins with the indeterminacy at the boundaries of things, a confrontation with something that defeats attempts to define it and thereby calls into question the definition of the self. In the second subtype, horror springs from the inability to determine one’s own boundaries, a process opposed by the crushing determinacy of the world. In the third subtype, horror unfolds by means of a substitution of one determinacy by another which is unexpected and ungrounded. In all three subtypes of horror, the disturbance of determinacy deprives the subject, the thinking entity, of its customary foundation for thought, and even of an explanation of how that foundation was lost; at times this can lead to impairment of the perception of time and space. Understood this way, horror comes within a hair’s breadth of madness - and may well cross over into it.

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