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Broken technologies : the humanist as engineer : an Introduction

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.

Publishing year

2009

Language

English

Pages

1-7

Publication/Series

Broken technologies : the humanist as engineer

Document type

Book chapter

Publisher

Department of History of Ideas and Science, Lund University

Topic

  • History of Ideas

Keywords

  • Don Ihde
  • Heidegger
  • Intentionality
  • Meaning
  • Phenomenology
  • Broken Technology

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISBN: 978-91-633-3683-6