Book | Chapter
(1987) Technology and responsibility, Dordrecht, Springer.
Philosophical anthropology and the problem of responsibility in technology
T. Maarten , T. Coolen
pp. 41-65
It has become a commonplace to say that taking responsibility for the use and the development of technology is a requirement that in our time is rather troublesome to meet. When in our complicated society a certain form of technology is implemented, is it then at all possible to point to someone who can actually be held responsible for it? And if one wishes to assume responsibility for technology by trying to exert an influence on its use and its development, how is one to do that if one cannot even survey the possible consequences of a certain use or a certain development? We have the feeling of being caught in a situation in which the practice that is demanded of us cannot be realized because the situation does not allow it; though the phrase itself may be paradoxical, I call this a "pragmatic paradox." On the one hand the development of technology is such that a responsible practice with regard to the problems caused by it has become more necessary than it has ever been before. On the other hand this same development and the concurrent development of society seem to have annulled the possibility of such a practice. There are only two ways to deal with a pragmatic paradox. One is to repress it. If one does not want to do that, one is left with the task of understanding it. One of the aims of this paper will be to make a contribution to the understanding of this paradox.
Publication details
DOI: 10.1007/978-94-015-6940-8_2
Full citation:
Maarten, T. , Coolen, T. (1987)., Philosophical anthropology and the problem of responsibility in technology, in P. T. Durbin (ed.), Technology and responsibility, Dordrecht, Springer, pp. 41-65.
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