TECHNOLOGY - THE ENGINEER OF OUR DESTRUCTION OR A TOOL FOR SALVATION: Exploring the role of technology in the environmental crisis
Translated title
TECHNOLOGY - THE ENGINEER OF OUR DESTRUCTION OR A TOOL FOR SALVATION - Exploring the role of technology in the environmental crisis: Exploring the role of technology in the environmental crisis
Author
Hansen, Signe Benn
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2023
Submitted on
2023-04-17
Pages
61
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvilken rolle teknologi spiller i den aktuelle miljøkrise. Det gennemgår og sammenligner ideer fra teknologifilosofien, fra dens europæiske rødder til nyere perspektiver knyttet til samfundsvidenskabelige studier af teknologi, for at afklare, hvordan forskellige syn beskriver, hvad teknologi er, hvordan den virker, og hvem der kontrollerer den. Afhandlingen viser, hvordan disse konkurrerende forståelser præger den offentlige debat om teknologi og natur. For at komme tættere på miljøspørgsmålet trækkes der paralleller mellem teknologifilosofi og miljøfilosofi. Gennem denne sammenligning undersøges de mulige roller, teknologi kan spille i krisen, og hvad disse roller betyder for idéen om bæredygtig udvikling. Analysen peger på en dyb uoverensstemmelse mellem den teknologiforståelse, som begrebet bæredygtig udvikling hviler på, og den forståelse, der ligger bag de diskuterede teorier. Afhandlingen udfordrer dette misforhold og argumenterer for, at teknologifilosofien kan være nødt til at indtage en mere teknologi-centreret tankegang for for alvor at deltage i feltet.
This master’s thesis examines what role technology plays in the environmental crisis. It reviews and compares ideas from the philosophy of technology—from its European origins to contemporary perspectives linked to social science studies of technology—to clarify how different views define what technology is, how it works, and who controls it. The thesis shows how these competing views shape everyday debates about technology and the natural environment. To explore the environmental implications, it draws parallels between the philosophy of technology and environmental philosophy. Through this comparison, it examines the potential roles technology can play in the crisis and considers what those roles mean for the idea of sustainable development. The analysis identifies a deep mismatch between the understanding of technology assumed in the concept of sustainable development and the understanding underlying the theories discussed. The thesis challenges this mismatch and argues that, to participate fully in the field, the philosophy of technology may need to adopt a more technology-centered mindset.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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