CS213 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Snowpiercer, Techne, Gilbert Simondon
How Does Technology Matter?
“Technology Clearly Matters…”
● Technology makes a difference, but we must get away from saying it causes the
difference
● How does our redefinition of technology lead us to this perspective?
○ More distributed notion of agency - technology doesn’t just matter itself but
matters in relation to other elements of the network
Inadequacy of Common Sense
● “What is amazing about these conversations involving technology is how little agreement
there is about what is at stake, that is, about what really matters”
● Why should that itself matter?
● We are lacking shared framework of technology - we all end up looking at tech in
different ways - eg kevorkian's machines → murder or libratory device?
● Interpretations of technology are steeped in ideas about their “thingness” rather than
looking at them in broader sets of relations (thingness is very limiting)
*watch movie Snowpiercer if you get a chance
What Meanings Might Be Applied to the Train, Snowpiercer?
● Brings together a number of elements
● Try to stop global warming by filling atmosphere with a chemical, chemical ends up
causing an ice age, only survivors are on this train
The Remedy for Slack and Wise
● “A sophisticated and shared understanding of how to approach questions of technology”
● What would possessing ^^^ mean to us? To the broader society?
○ Different lives have different understandings, change meanings of machines
○ We need a shared understanding based on idea that these items aren’t
universal, do not mean the same thing to everyone
Etymology
● Techne - art or craft
● As application, capability, manner of doing… but not as a thing
● Whereas in popular discourse it is invariably equal to useful things
● So what mistake are we making when we use product as a synonym for technology
● Used to mean the way you do things
In Popular Parlance
● Talk about technology as
○ A constructed and useful thing
○ Constructed, solid, and nonliving
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Technology makes a difference, but we must get away from saying it causes the difference. More distributed notion of agency - technology doesn"t just matter itself but matters in relation to other elements of the network. What is amazing about these conversations involving technology is how little agreement there is about what is at stake, that is, about what really matters . Interpretations of technology are steeped in ideas about their thingness rather than looking at them in broader sets of relations (thingness is very limiting) *watch movie snowpiercer if you get a chance. Try to stop global warming by filling atmosphere with a chemical, chemical ends up causing an ice age, only survivors are on this train. A sophisticated and shared understanding of how to approach questions of technology . Different lives have different understandings, change meanings of machines.
