Critique of technology

As technology skepticism (or technophobia or critique of technology ) is called a point of view which sees the current state or the future of humanity through advances in science, technology and research endangered or threatened.

Development

A historically oriented critique of technology can be viewed as a variant of the critique of progress. The latter can be traced back to Rousseau, at least in Europe.

Prominent representatives of the art criticism include Günther Anders, Jacques Ellul and Lewis Mumford. In a broader sense can be attributed also part of the work of Martin Heidegger and the critical history of technology (David F. Noble) art criticism.

The critique of technology overlaps partially with the philosophy of technology. But while the philosophy of technology is trying to establish itself as an academic discipline, the critique of technology is primarily a political project. She takes inter alia in neo-Marxism (Herbert Marcuse ), ecofeminism ( Vandana Shiva) and the Post Development ( Ivan Illich ) a central position.

As a social movement

The technique skepticism sparked in Europe from the ruling with the boom of the post-war period until about 1975 euphoric belief in progress. Allergies, genetic engineering, nuclear energy, medicine, technology in the hospital environment are fields where the technique is dedicated to skepticism preferred. But focus is not only the technology itself at the target point, but also the fact that can never be ruled out that the people responsible for the planning, installation and monitoring of risky technology make mistakes.

Until a few years ago also had the environmental movement strong anti-technology elements, but through "soft technology", electronic monitoring of hazards, renewable energy and developments in biology transformed (eg waste disposal by bacteria ) in a more positive view.

In the course of Internet euphoria of the 90s was the technique skepticism that still (eg in the context of the planned census ) especially made ​​fast on to computers in the 80s, largely disappeared from public view in Germany. However, it is since the beginning of the 21st century nourished reinforced by concerns about the growing possibilities of technical monitoring, as well as the climate change impact of technological activity.