Introduction
Introduction
This book focuses on a philosophical discussion of technology and what constitutes the good life. The point of access to this discussion is Albert Borgmann's important distinction between “things” and “devices.” The term “device,” uniquely Borgmann's idea, refers very generally to the mass-produced artifacts that shape so much of contemporary life. In contrast, “things” are referred to as older, traditional technologies that reflect their surrounding natural and communal context and require developed skill and attention in use. The set of questions a philosophy of technology should address in order to fulfill its promise are often at the intersection of it and other fields. This chapter states that philosophy of technology at its best should appeal to a very wide audience partly because it illuminates our shared, ordinary everyday life, such as with things and devices, and partly because the issues it probes cut across the full range of disciplines.
Keywords: technology, good life, Albert Borgmann, philosophy of technology, everyday life, things, devices
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