Gilbert Simondon's plea for a philosophy of technology

Abstract

This paper argues that most contemporary philosophy of technology hardly lives up to its name. What goes by that name gives nearly exclusive attention to the social and political consequences of technological innovations, leaving unattended the properly philosophical questions related to the nature and mode of existence of technical objects. After reviewing some of the reasons for this situation, I argue that, over thirty years ago, Gilbert Simondon offered a stimulating analysis of these problems which is still relevant today. I then present some of the major concepts of Simondon's analysis of technical objects and of his criticism of the then (and still) current reflections on technology. The concepts of technical objects, of concretization, of technical progress, of hypertelic adaptation, and of technical individual are presented and analysed. Finally, I recall Simondon's claim that our difficult relationship to technology stems, to a large extent, from a lack of understanding, and that philosopher's have a role to play in creating a new technical culture. Throughout the paper, I try to evaluate the importance of Simondon's achievement and suggest the need for further research and the way in which Simondon's analysis indicates fruitful areas of inquiry.