Scan What Things Do: Philosophical Reflections On Technology, Agency, And Design Fabricated By Peter-Paul Verbeek Readable In Audio Books
literature review, critique and theory in the philosophy of technology, Verbeek falls into a good spot for me in his critique of actornetwork theory things and humans are not the same sorts of actants, antitechnology romanticism against it, the social impact of consumer technology let's be specific, and analyze pros and cons adequately.
Verbeek borrows from early Heidegger and his analysis of Heidegger's changing thinking about artifacts, along with his critique of ANT, is one of those keepathand things, a bit from Latour and a bit from the notsilly aspects of phenomenology to craft a "postphenomenology" of things which calls for specificity of technologies and our relationships with them.
Readable, full of provocative ideas and clear analyses of other writers, this is an STS mustread, Solid analysis of theories on things and Things from Heidegger to Latour, A compelling case for postphenomenology, Definitely a great read for all Industrial Designers, I'm currently rereading this, after finding my very own hard copy, Excellent literature review, critique and theory in the philosophy of technology, This is an excellent addition to the growing body of work in the philosophy of technology, If you have read work by Don Ihde, Albert Borgmann, Bruno Latour, and/or Martin Heidegger then you are sure to appreciate Verbeek's synthesis of these authors into what he calls a "postphenomenolgy" of material technologies.
Verbeek's writing is exceptionally clear, and he handles the summary and assimilation of these diverse thinkers well, Without constantly introducing new material, Verbeek frequently revisits and deepens key points, By the end of this book, I felt better equipped with another framework for analysis of modern technology as well as a more expansive vocabulary by which to describe the way that technological devices mediate human relationships.
I look forward to reading future work by Verbeek, Our modern society is flooded with all sorts of devices: TV sets, automobiles, microwaves, mobile phones, How are all these things affecting us How can their role in our lives be understood What Things Do answers these questions by focusing on how technologies mediate our actions and
our perceptions of the world.
PeterPaul Verbeek develops this innovative approach by first distinguishing it from the classical philosophy of technology formulated by Jaspers and Heidegger, who were concerned that technology would alienate us from ourselves and the world around us.
Against this gloomy and overly abstract view, Verbeek draws on and extends the work of more recent philosophers of technology like Don Ihde, Bruno Latour, and Albert Borgmann to present a much more empirically rich and nuanced picture of how material artifacts shape our existence and experiences.
In the final part of the book Verbeek shows how his "postphenomenological" approach applies to the technological practice of industrial designers,
Its systematic and historical review of the philosophy of technology makes What Things Do suitable for use as an introductory text, while its innovative approach will make it appealing to readers in many fields, including philosophy, sociology, engineering, and industrial design.
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