Questioning the Question Concerning Technology ...

In Heidegger's Technologies (HT), Don Ihde visits Martin Heidegger's Being and Time (BT) and the lecture "The Question Concerning Technology" (QCT) in order to critique what have commonly been regarded in combination as the near-definitive philosophy of technology. While many regard Heidegger as the father of the philosophy of technology (he essentially put this form of philosophy on the map), that does not mean that his writings are without flaws and do not require updating.

It goes without saying that Heidegger's philosophy is not easy to unpack. While Ihde makes attempts to revisit and summarize Heidegger's philosophy before turning to critique it, his own take on the topic can be as abstruse and impenetrable as anything uttered by Heidegger. Take for instance these passages . . .

The ontological is discovered (literally, dis-covered) through the ontic. (HT 42)

When its unusability is thus discovered, equipment becomes conspicuous. This conspicuousness presents ready-to-hand equipment as in a certain unreadiness-to-hand. (BT 102)

The modes of conspicuousness, obtrusiveness, and obstinacy all have the function of bringing to the fore the characteristic of present-at-hand in what is ready-to-hand. (BT 104)

… [P]raxis in Being and Time functions as the basic existential stratum through which the world is revealed and as the basic realm of action from which sciences may arise (as processes of theoretically developing present-at-hand). (HT 50)

Yet in all fairness, one cannot accuse Ihde of reducing Heidegger's text and thought to inaccurate, gross simplifications. He goes to great lengths to present Heidegger's thought through Heidegger's words in order to avoid erroneous interpretations. Nevertheless, as I slowly and painstakingly plow deeper into text of HT, I encounter the sinking feeling that I may be walking down the wrong path, delving into the wrong rabbit hole. My goal in tackling HT was twofold: to get an update, a bead on the current state on the philosophy of technology, and then to take that newfound perspective and apply it to the concept of fractal identities. Ultimately, I believe that the philosophy of technology has something to say about humanity's relationship and interaction with technology - essentially, the project that is fractal identities. But at this juncture, with what I have been able to gather and understand on the philosophy of technology, I don't feel that I can do an application of it to my project of fractal identities justice.

I may have to abandon this line of thought for the time being and revisit it later. Indeed, the philosophy of technology could very well creep into future blog posts, but it will probably do so as a side note. I cannot dismiss the importance the role the philosophy of technology plays in my project, and I do not abandon this pursuit lightly. The dialogue pertaining to this line of philosophy is always lurking in the background of every comment I make and every observation that I report. But to do it justice, to apply it correctly and fully, and to not reduce it to facile observations, the philosophy of technology (specifically, Ihde and Heidegger on the philosophy of technology) requires more time and intellectual capacity on my part. Admittedly, I will occasionally fall back on loaded Heideggerian language as I continue to unravel the project that is fractal identities, e.g., terms such as “revealing,” “un-covering,” “dis-covering,” “ready-to-hand”/”present-at-hand,” and even “dwelling.” I cannot and do not wish to shed my background in philosophy and theory. But as far as applying this philosophy directly to my project, I must set aside that objective indefinitely.

Right now, before I can advance any further, I must redirect my energy and time elsewhere. Namely, I recognize the need to give better definition to the phrase that comprises the title of my project, fractal identities. I must A.) give the project a better, clearer definition or framework on which to build its definition, and B.) formulate a question – a guiding query – that will project will aim to address. At this juncture, I believe my energies will also be better spent going into more accessible and potentially more impactful dimensions (e.g., aesthetic, experiential) of fractal identities. Stay tuned!