Abstract
Modern technology has been striving to free humans from their subjection to space and time since its very beginnings. Overcoming spatial distances, intrinsically linked to the phenomenon of globalisation, and the parallel process of gaining mastery over time by new means of production and communication, has promised to bring man closer to a fulfilled life. However, instead of giving us more time for an authentic existence, the acceleration of time in modernity (as analysed by sociologist Hartmut Rosa) has led to a chronic lack of time and poses a general question of a good life and ethics. In this article, I intend to refer to Heidegger's view on the essence of modern technology as an endeavour to win victory over time, and the need of philosophical reflection regarding the positive nature of time. However, authentic time cannot come about without relationships to our fellow humans, and Levinas' account of temporality will serve as both a correction to Heidegger's position and a way towards an ethical consideration of time.
Highlights
We live in a time characterised by a peculiar paradox to time itself: on the one hand we have gained much time through the help of modern technologies, but, on the other, we seem to be suffering from time pressure more than at any other time in history
This question, with its temporal dimension, is still of fundamental importance today, as this is a life in time, and achieving it is intrinsically connected to the question of how one lives or spends their time
I will first present some aspects of the sociological theory on our contemporary time from German sociologist Hartmut Rosa, whose analyses ofmodern society centre on the concept of social acceleration
Summary
We live in a time characterised by a peculiar paradox to time itself: on the one hand we have gained much time through the help of modern technologies, but, on the other, we seem to be suffering from time pressure more than at any other time in history. I will first present some aspects of the sociological theory on our contemporary time from German sociologist Hartmut Rosa, whose analyses of (post)modern society centre on the concept of social acceleration He believes that it is by means of temporal structures that we can best understand (post)modern society’s development [1], and technological progress plays a key role in this process of acceleration. Heidegger’s well-known reflections on the essence of technology aid in discerning the hidden agenda behind this process, which is none other than man’s attempt to master time This striving, brings us to fundamental questions about the relationship between our existence and time; between life and temporality, and these questions will be addressed in the last section of the paper
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