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Broken technologies : the humanist as engineer. Updated November 2015

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Author

  • Fernando Flores

Summary, in English

There are many possible definitions of “technology” and I will discuss some of these in this book. However, in this introduction let me use a definition of Svante Lindqvist who defines technology very intuitively as “those activities, directed towards the satisfaction of human wants, which produce change in the material world.” He says also “the distinction between human “wants” and more limited human “needs” is crucial, for we do not use technology only to satisfy our essential material requirements.” Consequently, from this perspective, a technology that is “broken” could be defined as those activities, directed towards the satisfaction of human wants that are intended to produce changes in the material world that either do not manage to satisfy these wants or do not produce changes in the material world, or both. This is the third edition, updated October 2015.

Publishing year

2009

Language

English

Publication/Series

The Humanist as an Engineer

Volume

I

Document type

Book

Publisher

Lund University

Topic

  • History of Ideas

Keywords

  • phenomenology
  • artefact
  • Engineer
  • Humanist
  • Technology
  • brokenness

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISBN: 978-91-633-3683-6