The Philosophy of Technology: A Review

Abstract

The continuous technological progress since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution seemed to confirm the Rationalists and the optimism of the Age of Enlightenment. This is no longer so. In this review new lines of enquiry into this change are discussed, and various philosophical features and traditions are explored. It proves difficult to define ‘technology’; the philosophy of science and its methodology are considered, mind and machines are contrasted and the review concludes with a consideration of the arguments put forward for metaphysical interpretations of technology.