Heidegger’s issue with technology is that he believed humans were not inclining their definitions. Regarding technology, we needed more capture of the different essence it conveys. This aspect ties into technology in healthcare and how controversial we believe it to be. More specifically, in the field of surgery, there is a patient and the surgeon only. The trust and connection between the two allow for a smooth surgery. Now, some fear that the introduction of robots having the capability to replace surgeons with skills has changed the idea altogether. Nevertheless, will surgery still have the same respect when we go to a hospital for a human doctor to treat us? Heidegger has done a remarkable job reshaping how we view technology, primarily how it negatively affects our healthcare system today.
In his essay, Heidegger mentions the idea of losing control and how this will develop due to humans’ desire to master. Once the idea of wanting to take control over technology is threatened, we will see the idea of control eradicated. There is always a risk when it comes to technology, especially the concept of power and control, which some might describe as the same. Either the human will succumb to the means of technology in fear of degrading civilization. Alternatively, on the other hand, there is a risk of allowing technology to replace everything.
Moreover, Heidegger dives into the idea of revealing technology. Some even consider all technology to have a sense of vulnerability. However, when it comes to the outside of technology, there are factors that will expose people, secrets, locations, and many other things that should not be revealed. Heidegger mentions that technology has become influential in the western part of the world. One that encompasses the truth that can be unpredictable at times.
Aside from the everyday concerns about technology, many speculate about the rise of Artificial Intelligence. The creation of AI (Artificial Intelligence) initially aimed to benefit human resources with special tools. David Norman argued that “computers are tools and should be treated as such” Norman did not want to give these tools too much credit because humans should be given credit. One example that supports his argument is Microsoft website programming originating from AI research that provides structured intelligence. In some AI programs, the user can take control of the programming; however, the user still has to abide by the spreadsheet and rules that the AI provides.
Returning to Heidegger, there is another side to technology where it opposes the idea of revealing. From the Greek perspective, they defined technology as a way to exemplify the best handicraftsman instead of the modern definition we give it today. They connected technology more to the material and arranged things together instead of the wires and wifi we associate with. One reason the definition of technology is entirely different is that modern physics defines it. They are defining it as modern, and the experience that comes from experimenting with technology builds upon that relationship that allows today’s definition to hold weight.
On the negative side, the advancement of technology has introduced materialism. Philosophy describes materialism as a monism that holds weight in the essential substance of nature and mental states. The idea of monism is a doctrine that consists of a single substance, stating there is no crucial difference between mental and physical events. Technology can become more accessible when it does the same with media today. Due to this, the more affordable it is to produce media, the more competitive it is, necessitating the use of more and quicker production methods. As previously mentioned, this view is one of the strongest arguments in the materialism viewpoint.
To put it differently, in our world today, where technology has grown and become ingrained in our lives, we have seen first-hand psychological damage. Firstly, it creates a sense of isolation because teenagers and children are not limited by screen time. This allows them to always turn to social media and all forms of electronics. Secondly, there has been a link between people with more positive social media interactions and lower levels of depression and anxiety. On the contrary, Medical News Today has also discovered the opposite. Where there has been a positive link to social media, there have been harmful and more severe cases of depression and anxiety.
In addition, there has been a report on the physical damage of technology today. Smartphones, laptops, and tablets damage your hands when held for long periods. Especially for students who are typing or writing on their electronic pads to curve their fingers for extended periods. Along with, the risk of eye damage with the strain that comes with staring at these screens. It has also been reported that physical activity has gone down. Many people are changing their lifestyles due to technology because it has consumed so much of our life, and people rely on it for their jobs.
Equally important, the idea of technology has always been ambiguous in its own right. The uncertainty in explaining what it is shows how mysterious the truth could pertain to defining technology. In the western part of the world, they have always viewed technology as a means to an end. It served one purpose: to advance from a place where people used their hands. Today in our society, more in the eastern part, they view technology as the key to almost everything.
We are then introduced to the idea of Enframing. Heidegger explains Enframing as “gathering of that which sets upon man compels him to show what is true, in the form of ordering, as standing reserve,” which explains a radical view. Unlike the other definitions and explanations for technology, enframing blocks most views that reveal the essence of truth.
There are so many ways we see technology. One side views it as a way to solve problems and create a new pathway that has yet to be explored. On the other hand, there is that perspective of the essence and determining what technology has the potential to be and what it means as a whole.
