Heidegger’s “The Questions Concerning Technology”

Name: Mavis Francine B. Avelino BSN 2-A

Date: July 10, 2020

Reflection Paper

“The Questions Concerning Technology” is a paper written by Martin

Heidegger. After reading a lengthy essay concerning technology based on
Heidegger’s view, I’d like to say that it is indeed one of the most difficult texts to
understand considering that it doesn’t only need once or twice for someone to
understand but maybe multiple times. For someone who is new and is interested to
this essay I would like to recommend reading it thoroughly and to not be discourage

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for its 32 page essay. Based on how I understood everything, Heidegger on his

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essay claimed three things, first is that technology is “not an instrument” but

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instead it is a way of better understanding the world. Second, is that technology “is

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not a human activity” but which develops beyond human control. And third is that
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technology “is the highest danger”, risking us to only see the world through
technological thinking. It may seem easy to understand those 3 claims but that’s
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how far I think the gist of the whole essay was all about.
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Based on how I’ve understood the paper, we humans focus on technology

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that is that is something built or created for our own motivations and reasons that
led to us using it for efficiency and practical use, blinding us from its true “essence”.
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Heidegger here is concerned that “the essence of modern technology starts man
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upon the way of that revealing through which the real everywhere, more or less
distinctly, becomes standing reserve”. Meaning that the human “essence” behind
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technology is a drive to put things into order and just use them for practical results.
We have become so focused on technology with a practical mind that somehow it
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blinded us to the fact that it should be understood as something such as art or

philosophy. We should never take technology for granted and never thought of it as
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part of a human progress and instead think of it as something rooted in human

choices and influence.

We can’t deny that without technology we may still remain as beings during
the Stone Age. Technology indeed has added comfort to our lives and it has become

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 deeply ingrained in human life. I think overall Heidegger wanted us to think again
why we make technology, what its purpose and whether it is fulfilling to our interest
both for humankind and the world. The author only wanted us to never forget the
essence of making art as a process of revealing and discovery.

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