Abstract

The first part of this study demonstrates how contemporary debates in the philosophy of technology stumble when trying to explain how technology comes to influence human ends. The second part argues that Heidegger’s philosophy acts as a corrective on the modern debate through understanding technology as a disclosive phenomenon. That is, it reveals the world to be of a certain character, which Heidegger terms ‘standing-reserve’. World-revealing explains not only how technology can come to influence human ends but also the ontological appearance of things in the world. The ontological nature of the problem demands a response to technological revealing that is ontological in character. Heidegger thinks the solution to the problem of modern technology must occur, first and foremost, at the level of authentic thought and language, which he locates in the Greek concept of TECHNE. In the third part, I argue that Heidegger’s account needs supplementation at the level of practical world-building. I forward my own novel response, which advocates for a change at the level of thought and action. I base my response on a return to the roots of TECHNE and its association with craft.