THEORETICAL PHILOSOPHY AND PHILOSOPHY OF TECHNOLOGY
cod. 1010620

Academic year 2022/23
1° year of course - First semester
Professor
- Agostino CERA
Academic discipline
Filosofia teoretica (M-FIL/01)
Field
Istituzioni di filosofia
Type of training activity
Characterising
30 hours
of face-to-face activities
6 credits
hub:
course unit
in ITALIAN

Learning objectives

a) Knowledge of the matter:
- to acquire the essential conceptual tools in order to deal with the topic “technology” in a critical and independent way.
general knowledge of the discipline;
- to explore some issues related to the history of the discipline and the contemporary debate;
- to acquire a solid cultural background;
- to develop a useful method to approach philosophical texts.

b) Application Capacity
- to develop skills to manage the topics and the history of the discipline;
- to develop accuracy and precision in philosophical language;
- to develop skills of analysis and interpretation of philosophical texts;
- to develop the ability to distinguish the contexts and the various points of view in a text or a philosophical issue;
- to develop logical skills of analysis and solution of theoretical problems and apply them to practice;

c) Soft skills
- to develop analytical skills of exposure;
- to develop a personal and critical point of view on issues of history and theory of the discipline;
- to develop ability to use philosophical knowledge to review and assess problems related to the contemporary world;
- to develop ability to draft texts and reports on relevant topics.

Prerequisites

Basic knowledges of the history of philosophy may favor the approach to the discipline, although they are not compulsory or mandatory. Moreover, skills and competences of intermediate level of logical-theoretical and linguistic-expressive type are required.

Course unit content

title of the course:
ELEMENTS OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF TECHNOLOGY

This year the course of Theoretical Philosophy and Philosophy of Technology presents a historical and theoretical introduction to the “question concerning technology” and thus it aims to highlight the epochal role played by technology. That is to say, the acknowledgment it embodies the current “subject of history” (Günther Anders) or that our age can be defined “technisches Zeitalter” (epoch of technology).
The first part of the course (“Towards a History of the Philosophy of Technology”) gives the basic benchmarks to reconstruct the history of the philosophy of technology: from the beginning to its golden/classic age (related to authors such as Heidegger, Anders, Ellul, Jonas, Gehlen.), until its newest developments (i.e. empirical turn, post-phenomenology).
The second part (“The Question Concerning Technology according to Martin Heidegger”) deals with a short focus in Martin Heidegger’s work on “the question concerning technology”, namely the thinker to which must be ascribed the authorship of the philosophy of technology as such, that is its epistemic imprimatur (its peculiarity within the philosophical way of knowledge).

Full programme

title of the course:
ELEMENTS OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF TECHNOLOGY

This year the course of Theoretical Philosophy and Philosophy of Technology presents a historical and theoretical introduction to the “question concerning technology” and thus it aims to highlight the epochal role played by technology. That is to say, the acknowledgment it embodies the current “subject of history” (Günther Anders) or that our age can be defined “technisches Zeitalter” (epoch of technology).
The first part of the course (“Towards a History of the Philosophy of Technology”) gives the basic benchmarks to reconstruct the history of the philosophy of technology: from the beginning to its golden/classic age (related to authors such as Heidegger, Anders, Ellul, Jonas, Gehlen.), until its newest developments (i.e. empirical turn, post-phenomenology).
The second part (“The Question Concerning Technology according to Martin Heidegger”) deals with a short focus in Martin Heidegger’s work on “the question concerning technology”, namely the thinker to which must be ascribed the authorship of the philosophy of technology as such, that is its epistemic imprimatur (its peculiarity within the philosophical way of knowledge).

Part I: “Towards a History of the Philosophy of Technology”
1) M. T. Pansera, “Tecnica”, Guida, Napoli 2013, pp. 194.
2) R. Scharff, “Philosophy of Technology”, in J. Protevi (Ed.), The Edinburgh Dictionary of Continental Philosophy, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2005, pp. 570-574.
3) H. Achterhuis, “Introduction: American Philosophers of Technology”, in Id. (ed.), “American Philosophy of Technology: The Empirical Turn”, Indiana University Press, Bloomington and Indianapolis 2001, pp. 1-9.
4) A. Cera, “Beyond the Empirical Turn: Elements for an Ontology of Engineering”, in «Információs Társadalom» XX, no. 4, 2020, pp. 74-89 (https://dx.doi.org/10.22503/inftars.XX.2020.4.6).

Part II: “The Question Concerning Technology according to Martin Heidegger”
5) M. Heidegger, “La questione della tecnica”, in Id., “Saggi e discorsi”, tr. it. G. Vattimo, Mursia, Milano 1993, pp. 5-27.
6) M. Heidegger, “Filosofia e cibernetica”, tr. it. A. Fabris, ETS, Pisa 1988, pp. 49.

N.B. THE TEXTS SET OUT IN POINTS 2), 3), 4) WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE BY THE TEACHER.

further teaching material.
- For the part II:
F. Volpi (a cura di), “Guida a Heidegger”, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2005, pp. 3-58 (cap. I: “Vita e opere”) e pp. 235-276 (cap. VI: “L’essenza della tecnica e il nichilismo”).

Bibliography

Part I: “Towards a History of the Philosophy of Technology”
1) M. T. Pansera, “Tecnica”, Guida, Napoli 2013, pp. 194.
2) R. Scharff, “Philosophy of Technology”, in J. Protevi (Ed.), The Edinburgh Dictionary of Continental Philosophy, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2005, pp. 570-574.
3) H. Achterhuis, “Introduction: American Philosophers of Technology”, in Id. (ed.), “American Philosophy of Technology: The Empirical Turn”, Indiana University Press, Bloomington and Indianapolis 2001, pp. 1-9.
4) A. Cera, “Beyond the Empirical Turn: Elements for an Ontology of Engineering”, in «Információs Társadalom» XX, no. 4, 2020, pp. 74-89 (https://dx.doi.org/10.22503/inftars.XX.2020.4.6).

Part II: “The Question Concerning Technology according to Martin Heidegger”
5) M. Heidegger, “La questione della tecnica”, in Id., “Saggi e discorsi”, tr. it. G. Vattimo, Mursia, Milano 1993, pp. 5-27.
6) M. Heidegger, “Filosofia e cibernetica”, tr. it. A. Fabris, ETS, Pisa 1988, pp. 49.

N.B. THE TEXTS SET OUT IN POINTS 2), 3), 4) WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE BY THE TEACHER.

further teaching material.
- For the part II:
F. Volpi (a cura di), “Guida a Heidegger”, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2005, pp. 3-58 (cap. I: “Vita e opere”) e pp. 235-276 (cap. VI: “L’essenza della tecnica e il nichilismo”).

Teaching methods

The lessons of the course will be held in presence.

Assessment methods and criteria

Oral test in presence

Other information

- - -