Knowledge and Technology: Man as a Technological Animal

Abstract

Technology is a prominent projection of human reason upon the world. It is an attempt to make the world fit in with what we imagine to be the ideal for us. Human beings, unlike other animals, are capable of understanding their limitations and can not only reflect on these limitations but also envisage what the human condition should be. This chapter argues that, given it is not possible for us to reject these ideals of reason, we can infer that to be technical beings is a characteristic of human nature. We shall analyse some issues belonging to our relationship with technology throughout history and show that technology should be viewed as a specific desire prompted by the very nature of human rationality. More than that, technology is an attempt to fill the gap between the limitations of our nature and a continuous increase in our knowledge. This chapter is not about the connections between technology and science, morality, politics, economy, society and culture, but about technology as a metaphysical urge of the human condition. We conclude that man is not simply a rational or political animal but a technological animal as well. In our era of global technology, it is possible to see clearly what the reality of our condition has always been.