On the Current Uses of Simondon’s Philosophy of Technology

Abstract

This chapter provides a brief survey of the current uses of Gilbert Simondon’s philosophy of technology. The long-lasting lack of translation of his book Du Mode d’existence des objets techniques (1958) explains that the English-speaking readership knows little of his rich and deep thinking, but there is a significant trend of simondonian researches in Argentina, France, Germany and Italy. My analysis on the ongoing researches using Simondon’s philosophy of technology follows three paths: techno-sciences, techno-aesthetics and techno-politics. The first focuses on the scientific design and technological concretization of research objects and instrumentation: technology is no more the mere outcome of research; it is a full-fledged epistemological element of techno-science. Simondon has proposed techno-aesthetics as an original theory of an aesthetic of technical which inspires many studies about industrial design. His philosophy of technology has also techno-political implication since its aim is to reintegrate technology into Culture in order to allow a mutual emancipation of man and machine.