Philosopher of technology Andrew Feenberg‘s book Questioning Technology has been highly influential on my thinking over the past few years, so I was recently pleased to learn that his 1999 book was actually translated into French in 2004. Better still, it has been made available for free as a downloadable PDF. Especially useful for me was Feenberg’s critique and extension of Habermas’ theories of purposive and communicative rationality into technology.
Habermas tends to argue that technology is not a medium unto itself, capable of being affected by social forces; it is rather an extrinsically rational mediator, for other media, like law. Feenberg does an excellent job of countering this view, by showing how technology in fact offers a set of precise parallels to law. Through instrumentalizations embedded into technical codes (like, for example, the structured data protocols that support social computing) technology guides purposive action juridically: just as Habermas conceives of law as a coordinating media, technology
1) operates as both idealized institution and form of mediation;
2) mediates between system and lifeworld, in ways that are sometimes pathological;
3) makes nominal claims on our actions through prescriptions embedded into its design; and
4) has a reserve backing just like the other media.
Feenberg writes for example that, “Power requires means of enforcement; in the case of technology, the natural consequences of error have a similar function, often mediated by organizational sanctions of some sort. If you refuse the technical norms, say, by driving on the wrong side of the street, you risk your life. ”
His writing may sometimes not be for the faint of heart, but Feenberg’s ideas are always painstakingly well-argued. In English or in French, he is definitely worth your time.
