Interpreting Technology

Ricoeur on Questions Concerning Ethics and Philosophy of Technology

Edited by Wessel Reijers; Alberto Romele and Mark Coeckelbergh

Paul Ricœur has been one of the most influential and intellectually challenging philosophers of the last century, and his work has contributed to a vast array of fields: studies of language, of history, of ethics and politics. However, he has up until recently only had a minor impact on the philosophy of technology. Interpreting Technology aims to put Ricœur’s work at the centre of contemporary philosophical thinking concerning technology. It investigates his project of critical hermeneutics for rethinking established theories of technology, the growing ethical and political impacts of technologies on the modern lifeworld, and ways of analysing global sociotechnical systems such as the Internet. Ricœur’s philosophy allows us to approach questions such as: how could narrative theory enhance our understanding of technological mediation? How can our technical practices be informed by the ethical aim of living the good life, with and for others, in just institutions? And how does the emerging global media landscape shape our sense of self, and our understanding of history? These questions are more timely than ever, considering the enormous impact technologies have on daily life in the 21st century: on how we shape ourselves with health apps, how we engage with one-another through social media, and how we act politically through digital platforms.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers / Rowman & Littlefield International

Pages: 320 • Trim: 6½ x 9

978-1-5381-5346-8 • Hardback • May 2021 • $144.00 • (£111.00)

978-1-5381-5348-2 • Paperback • March 2023 • $44.00 • (£35.00)

978-1-5381-5347-5 • eBook • May 2021 • $41.50 • (£35.00)

Series: Philosophy, Technology and Society

Subjects: Philosophy / Epistemology, Philosophy / Ethics & Moral Philosophy, Philosophy / Philosophy of Technology, Technology & Engineering / Social Aspects

Interpreting Technology

Ricoeur on Questions Concerning Ethics and Philosophy of Technology

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

Paul Ricœur has been one of the most influential and intellectually challenging philosophers of the last century, and his work has contributed to a vast array of fields: studies of language, of history, of ethics and politics. However, he has up until recently only had a minor impact on the philosophy of technology. Interpreting Technology aims to put Ricœur’s work at the centre of contemporary philosophical thinking concerning technology. It investigates his project of critical hermeneutics for rethinking established theories of technology, the growing ethical and political impacts of technologies on the modern lifeworld, and ways of analysing global sociotechnical systems such as the Internet. Ricœur’s philosophy allows us to approach questions such as: how could narrative theory enhance our understanding of technological mediation? How can our technical practices be informed by the ethical aim of living the good life, with and for others, in just institutions? And how does the emerging global media landscape shape our sense of self, and our understanding of history? These questions are more timely than ever, considering the enormous impact technologies have on daily life in the 21st century: on how we shape ourselves with health apps, how we engage with one-another through social media, and how we act politically through digital platforms.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers / Rowman & Littlefield International

Pages: 320 • Trim: 6½ x 9

978-1-5381-5346-8 • Hardback • May 2021 • $144.00 • (£111.00)

978-1-5381-5348-2 • Paperback • March 2023 • $44.00 • (£35.00)

978-1-5381-5347-5 • eBook • May 2021 • $41.50 • (£35.00)

Series: Philosophy, Technology and Society

Subjects: Philosophy / Epistemology, Philosophy / Ethics & Moral Philosophy, Philosophy / Philosophy of Technology, Technology & Engineering / Social Aspects

Author

Mark Coeckelbergh is professor of the philosophy of media and technology at the University of Vienna.

Alberto Romele is research associate at the IZEW, International Center for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities, University of Tübingen.

Wessel Reijers is postdoctoral Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Hermeneutic Philosophy of Technology: A Research Program
Alberto Romele, Wessel Reijers, Mark Coeckelbergh
Part I: Ricoeur and Theories of Technology
Chapter 1: Ricoeur’s Polysemy of Technology and its Reception - Ernst Wolff
Chapter 2: Postphenomenology and the Hermeneutic Ambiguity of Technology – Eoin Carney
Chapter 3: Let’s Narrate That Symmetry! Ricoeur and Latour – Jonne Hoek, Bas de Boer
Chapter 4: Ricoeur’s Critical Theory of Technology – David Kaplan
Chapter 5: Free the Text! A Texture Turn in Philosophy of Technology – Bruno Gransche
Part II: Ricoeur’s Ethics of Technology
Chapter 6: Narrative Self-Exposure on Social Media: From Ricoeur to Arendt in the Digital Age – Annemie Halsema
Chapter 7: Digital Hermeneutics: Will the Real Quantified Self Please Stand Up? – Noel Fitzpatrick
Chapter 8: The Pedagogical Relation in a Technological Age– David Lewin
Chapter 9: Prostheses as Narrative Technologies: Bioethical Considerations for Prosthetic Applications in Health Care – Geoffrey Dierckxsens
Chapter 10: Responsibility, Technology and Innovation: The Recognition of a Capable Agent – Guido Gorgoni, Robert Gianni
Part III: Ricoeur and 21^st Century Technology
Chapter 11: Ricœur and E-health – Alain Loute
Chapter 12: The Force of Political Action in the Technological Polis – Todd Mei
Chapter 13: Software and Metaphors: The Hermeneutic Dimensions of Software Development – Eric Chown, Fernando Nascimento
Chapter 14: Narrating Artificial Intelligence: The Story of AlphaGo – Esther Keymolen
Conclusion: Hermeneutic Responsible Innovation
Wessel Reijers, Alberto Romele, Mark Coeckelbergh
Index
About the Contributors

Reviews

This ambitious volume exploits Ricouer’s hermeneutics to develop essential guidance to our interpreting multiple dimensions of our lives and concerns vis-à-vis technology broadly and specific technologies such as AI and social media. Going well beyond central schools in contemporary philosophy of technology, such as postphenomenology and the Frankfurt School, it thereby enables us to better respond to these concerns in more ethical and genuinely emancipatory directions. Individual chapters, encapsulated by the editors’ overarching insights, offer a rich tapestry of critique, insight, and foundations for most promising new directions in philosophy of technology.

— Charles M. Ess, professor emeritus, University of Oslo