602023 SE Philosophy of Technology and Media: an Introduction
summer semester 2021 | Last update: 22.02.2023 | Place course on memo listKnowledge of central positions from the philosophy of media and technology; ability to apply these approaches to the conceptualisation of contemporary developments in media technology; understanding in-depth the basic assumption of the non-neutrality of media and technologies.
How can "media" and "technology" be appropriately conceptualised philosophically? There are numerous suggestions for this, whereby philosophy of technology and media philosophy are intertwined in many ways: media can be examined with regard to their technical operation and, conversely, technologies can be seen as media of world disclosure. What both genres have in common is that they abandon an instrumental understanding of technologies and media as mere means to an end or as neutral communication channels in favour of an exploration of the culturally formative (and formatted) power of media and technologies. We read and discuss classical texts (e.g. by Marshall McLuhan, Martin Heidegger, Günther Anders) but also newer approaches (e.g. by Bruno Latour and Bernard Stiegler).
independent reading in advance of the sessions; student presentations, and discussion
the assessment is immanent to the course and comprises
- an oral presentation
- contributions to discussion in class
- a written concluding reflection at the end of the semester
will be announced in the first session
None.
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