Exceptional Technologies: A Continental Philosophy of Technology Contributor(s): Smith, Dominic (Author) |
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ISBN: 135001561X ISBN-13: 9781350015616 Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic OUR PRICE: $35.59 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: August 2018 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Philosophy | Movements - Phenomenology - Science | Philosophy & Social Aspects - Philosophy | Movements - Critical Theory |
Dewey: 601 |
LCCN: 2018289784 |
Physical Information: 0.7" H x 6.1" W x 9.1" (0.75 lbs) 208 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: A discussion of the rapidly growing field, from a thinker at the forefront of research at the interface of technology and the humanities, this is a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary developments in Continental philosophy and philosophy of technology. Philosophy of technology regularly draws on key thinkers in the Continental tradition, including Husserl, Heidegger, and Foucault. Yet because of the problematic legacy of the 'empirical turn', it often criticizes 'bad' continental tendencies - lyricism, pessimism, and an outdated view of technology as an autonomous, transcendental force. This misconception is based on a faulty image of Continental thought, and in addressing it Smith productively redefines our concept of technology. By closely engaging key texts, and by examining 'exceptional technologies' such as imagined, failed, and impossible technologies that fall outside philosophy of technology's current focus, this book offers a practical guide to thinking about and using continental philosophy and philosophy of technology. It outlines and enacts three key characteristics of philosophy as practiced in the continental tradition: close reading of the history of philosophy; focus on critique; and openness to other disciplinary fields. Smith deploys the concept of exceptional technologies to provide a novel way of widening discussion in philosophy of technology, navigating the relationship between philosophy of technology and Continental philosophy; the history of both these fields; the role of imagination in relation to technologies; and the social function of technologies themselves. |
Contributor Bio(s): Smith, Dominic: - Dominic Smith grew up in Australia and now lives in Seattle, WA. He's the author of the novels: The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, Bright and Distant Shores, The Beautiful Miscellaneous, and The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre. His short fiction has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and has appeared widely, including in The Atlantic, Texas Monthly, and the Chicago Tribune's Printers Row Journal. He has been a recipient of a Literature Grant from the Australia Council for the Arts, a Dobie Paisano Fellowship, and a Michener Fellowship. |