Martin Heidegger on Technology: A Response to Essentialist Charge

Year 2017, Issue: 2 - 2017, 1 - 16, 30.04.2017

Aydan Turanlı

Abstract

Martin Heidegger is one of the major philosophers influencing
discussions of the condition of technology in the modern era especially with his
very much debated article, “The Question Concerning Technology.” However,
his views of technology are variously interpreted. Andrew Feenberg and Don
Ihde accuse Martin Heidegger of being “essentialist.” Feenberg also implies that
Heidegger is a technological determinist and a strong pessimist. On the other hand,
Iain Thomson asserts that Heidegger’s view of technology is not essentialist in
the traditional sense. David Edward Tabachnick also underlines that essentialism
in Heidegger does not necessarily include determinism. In this article, I defend
Heidegger against Feenberg’s essentialist charge. First, I summarize Feenberg’s
interpretation of Heidegger. Secondly, I criticize Feenberg to show that his
accusations against Heidegger are unjustified. 

Keywords

Martin Heidegger, technology, Andrew Feenberg, essentialism, technological determinism, anti-technology, autonomy of technology

Martin Heidegger'in Teknoloji Görüşü: Özcü Eleştiriye Bir Cevap

Abstract

Martin Heidegger, özellikle çok tartışılan “Teknolojiye İlişkin bir Soru”
makalesiyle modern dönemde teknolojinin durumuyla ilgili tartışmaları etkileyen
en önemli filozoflardan biridir. Ancak, onun teknoloji görüşleri çeşitli şekillerde
yorumlanmıştır. Andrew Feenberg ve Don Ihde, Heidegger’i, özcü olmakla
suçlarlar. Feenberg, ayrıca da Heidegger’in teknolojik determinist ve güçlü
anlamda pesimist olduğunu ima eder. Diğer yandan, Iain Thomson, Heidegger’in
teknoloji görüşünün geleneksel anlamda özcü olmadığını iddia eder. David
Edward Tabachnick’de, Heidegger’de özcülüğün, determinizmi içermediğinin
altını çizer. Bu makalede, Feenberg’in özcü suçlamasına karşı Heidegger’i
savunacağım. İlk olarak, Feenberg’in Heidegger yorumunu özetleyeceğim. İkinci
olarak, Heidegger’e karşı suçlamalarının temelsiz olduğunu göstermek için
Feenberg’i eleştireceğim. 

Keywords

Martin Heidegger, teknoloji, Andrew Feenberg, özcülük, teknolojik determinizm, teknoloji-karşıtlığı, teknolojinin özerkliği

References

• Dreyfus, Hubert. (1995). Heidegger on Gaining a Free Relation to Technology. In A. F. Editor & A.H. Editor Technology and the Politics of Knowledge (128-145). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
• Dusek, Val. (2006). Philosophy of Technology: An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
• Feenberg, Andrew. (1999). Questioning Technology. New York: Routledge.
• Heidegger, Martin. (1977). The Question Concerning Technology and Other Essays. New York: Harper Torchbooks.
• Heidegger, Martin. (2006). Pathmarks (7th Edition). (William McNeill, Ed&Trans), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Heidegger, Martin. (1966). Discourse on Thinking. (Anderson, M. John & Freund, Hans Trans). New York: Harper Torchbooks.
• Heidegger, Martin. (1971) Poetry, Language and Thought. (Albert Hofstadter, Trans) New York: Harper and Row Publishers.
• Ihde, Don. (2010). Heidegger on Technology: One Size Fits All. Philosophy Today, 54, 101-105
• Tabachnick, David Edward. (2007) Heidegger’s Essentialist Responses to the Challenge of Technology. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 40:2, 487-505
• Thomson, Iain. (2000). What’s Wrong with Being a Technological Essentialist? A Response to Feenberg. Inquiry, 43:4, 429-44
• Thomson, Iain. (2000 a). From the Question Concerning Technology to the Quest for a Democratic Technology: Heidegger, Marcuse, Feenberg. Inquiry, 43:2, 203-215