Martin Heidegger: The

Questions Concerning
Technology
Science, Technology and Society
Marian B. Santos, RN, MS
• “Anyone can achieve their fullest
potential, who we are might be
predetermined, but the path we follow
is always of our own choosing.”
Martin Heidegger
 Student Learning
Outcome
• By the end of the lesson, the students
will be able to analyze the human
condition in order to deeply reflect and
express philosophical ramifications
that are meaningful to them as a part
of society.
Technology

Everyday we
are being
bombarded
by the
different
uses of
technology.
It became a part of
our daily routine,
nothing special,
just like brushing
our teeth.
What is Technology?

MEANS TO AN END “INSTRUMENTAL”

HUMAN ACTIVITY “ANTHROPOLOGICAL

But according to
Heidegger :
This definition is not adequate
enough for it does not touch the
essence of technology.
Who is Martin
Heidegger?
MARTIN HEIDEGGER
• September 1889 – May 1976
• German Philosopher
• “Father of Existential Phenomenology”
• Author of “Sein Und Zeit” or “Being and Time”
In order for us to comprehend what technology
is…we need to have free relationship with the
technology.
The Essence of
Technology
• When we discover technology’s essence, we
discover the commonality that all technology shares.

• What is the essence of technology?

What is the essence of
technology then?
Can it be its effect?
Can it be its cause?
Its instrumentality?
Causality
• Technology brings about change causally
• The cause is what is responsible for the effect, and
the effect is indebted to the cause
• According to Aristotle, there are four ways in which
this relation holds
• The unifying notion is that of starting something on
its way to arrival
• Being responsible is an inducing to go forward
 The Four Causes
Technological Process ≠ essence of technology
Example 1: Table
Causa Materialis: Board
Causa Formalis: Rectangle
Causa Effeciense: Carpenter
Causa Finalis: to place things/to write
According to
Heidegger

The process of bringing forth

“Technology is a poiesis
(poiesis), the revealing
(bringing forth) that
(aletheia) of a certain
discloses or reveals
technology (techne) is the
(aletheia) the truth.”
essence of technology.
Example 2: Sculpture
• The process of bringing forth(poises) an image in a
given material, such as wood or stone is through
carving.
• The techne is the art/craft/ expertise of the sculptor.
• The aletheia is the final form/what is being revealed.
• The nature of the sculpture itself wasn't
fabricated or covered up in some way, rather it
was illuminated, enhanced in a way consistent
with its nature. The sculptor did not
manufacture, he revealed. The dignity of the
stone itself still stands, just in a new form.
• Apply this principle to other things that we obtain
through technology, treating aspects of nature as
having a metaphysical essence, a certain necessity
for reverence.
• Technology is a means towards fulfilling our needs
while respect nature's needs.
 Example of bringing
forth
• The windmill satisfy humans without
hurting nature
 Activity 1: Facebook
Exudate the aletheia, poieses and techne of facebook.
Modern Technology
• Both primitive crafts and modern technology are
revealing
• But the revealing of modern technology is not a
bringing-forth, but a challenging-forth
Challenging Forth
• It is the opposite of bringing forth.
• It challenges nature, by extracting something
from it and transforming it, storing it up,
distributing it, etc.
• We use and manipulate resources nature give
to us to manufacture, to create, or to reveal
technology that is man-made.
Challenging Forth
• With this attitude, nature is merely viewed as
material. When they look at a forest, they don't
necessarily see trees, they see lumber.
Everywhere they look in nature they only see raw
material. They set their machines upon the mass
of, "potential lumber" liquidating the forest.
This attitude is presented in the materialist
Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead:

➢ He looked at the granite. To be cut, he thought,

and made into walls. He looked at a tree. To be
split and made into rafters. He looked at a streak
of rust on the stone and thought of iron ore
under the ground. To be melted and to emerge
as girders against the sky. These rocks, he
thought, are waiting for me; waiting for the drill,
the dynamite and my voice; waiting to be split,
ripped, pounded, reborn; waiting for the shape
my hands will give them
Challenging Forth
aims to reduce all things and relationships to
mere resources (Bestand) awaiting optimization
(Belu & Feeber, 2010).
Challenging
forth
Challenging-Forth deprives Nature of
its integrity, sacredness, metaphysical
life, and dignity.
Bringing forth Challenging forth

• Idealist • Materialistic
• “Naturocentric” • Anthropocentric
• Steward of nature • Master of nature
 The Standing Reserve
(Bestand)
• Modern technology takes all of
nature to stand in reserve for its
exploitation
• Man is challenged to do this, and
as such he becomes part of the
standing reserve
• Man becomes the instrument of
technology, to be exploited in the
ordering of nature.
Enframing (Gestell)

• We challenge and see things as standing

reserves because we are constantly
enframing everything around us.
• Enframing is an orientation or attitude of
humans on how they see the world.

• Enframing is looking at nature as source

of raw materials to be exploited and
manipulated.

• We look at nature how it is going to fit in

our needs rather than how we fit to
nature.
Heidegger used the RHINE
RIVER as an example of
ENFRAMING
• When we look at a river we do not see it as a
body of water that provides habitat and food
for many organisms.
Rather when
we see a river,
we see these
• And this
When we
see these
cows,
We see this
ENFRAMING

• What is the essence of Modern Technology?

The Danger of
Modern Technology

Chained to
technology

Lose the Cannot let go

essence of of
who we are conveniences

Swallowed by
Technology

Cannot let go
Enframing
of profits

No capacity
for authentic
personal
encounter
The Saving Power
• The poet Hölderlin writes that the saving
power grows where danger is
• The saving would allow a bringing-forth that is
not a challenging-forth (things would reveal
themselves not just as standing-reserve)
• Both technology and bringing-forth grow out
of “granting,” which allows revealing
 ART as a Saving
Power
• See the poetic in the reality of nature.
• Leading us towards meditative thinking
• Work to not let technology rule over us and
destroy the “being” and the mystery of our
natural resources.
• Take part into an “open"--constantly critical,
constantly questioning--relationship with the
technology that is constantly making new
incursions into our lives.
A quote from Hubert
Reeves:
Man is the most insane
species. He worships an
invisible God and destroys a
visible Nature. Unaware that
this Nature he’s destroying is
this God he’s worshiping.
 Activity 2: Write your answer
on a short bond paper.

• How are you going to apply Heidegger’s

assessment of “technology” in general to
our modern information technology, and
communications technology in particular?
• How would you describe the dangers of
modern technology?
• Compare your concerns with technology
with Heidegger’s concern.
• How do you/we currently relate to
technology?
Maraming
Salamat!
 • https://www.sfu.ca/~andrewf/books/heid
egger_ontology_technology.pdf
• http://www.english.hawaii.edu/criticalink
/heidegger/guide6.html
• Mc Namara et. Al. Science , Technology
and Society
• Mattey G.(2002). The Questions
concerning technology ppt., Philosophy
157.
• https://blogs.ubc.ca/philosophyofetec/su
mmary-of-readings-2/

References