This document discusses different philosophical conceptions of "the thing". Traditionally, things have been seen as passive objects opposed to the subject/mind. However, an alternative tradition sees things as provocations or incitements for human action and creativity. Within this tradition, things are both the raw material we find and the products we construct. Technology can be understood as the cultural correlate of things, which themselves are the human correlate of material reality. The intellectual process of constructing objects from the flux of reality both humanizes nature and extends life through things.
This document discusses different philosophical conceptions of "the thing". Traditionally, things have been seen as passive objects opposed to the subject/mind. However, an alternative tradition sees things as provocations or incitements for human action and creativity. Within this tradition, things are both the raw material we find and the products we construct. Technology can be understood as the cultural correlate of things, which themselves are the human correlate of material reality. The intellectual process of constructing objects from the flux of reality both humanizes nature and extends life through things.
This document discusses different philosophical conceptions of "the thing". Traditionally, things have been seen as passive objects opposed to the subject/mind. However, an alternative tradition sees things as provocations or incitements for human action and creativity. Within this tradition, things are both the raw material we find and the products we construct. Technology can be understood as the cultural correlate of things, which themselves are the human correlate of material reality. The intellectual process of constructing objects from the flux of reality both humanizes nature and extends life through things.
This document discusses different philosophical conceptions of "the thing". Traditionally, things have been seen as passive objects opposed to the subject/mind. However, an alternative tradition sees things as provocations or incitements for human action and creativity. Within this tradition, things are both the raw material we find and the products we construct. Technology can be understood as the cultural correlate of things, which themselves are the human correlate of material reality. The intellectual process of constructing objects from the flux of reality both humanizes nature and extends life through things.
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Yale University, School of Architecture
Noles on lIe TIing
AulIov|s) EIizaIelI Ovosz Bevieved vovI|s) Souvce Fevspecla, VoI. 33, Mining Aulonon |2002), pp. 78-79 FuIIisIed I The MIT Press on IeIaIJ oJ Fevspecla. SlaIIe UBL http://www.jstor.org/stable/1567299 . Accessed 25/01/2013 1915 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . Yale University, School of Architecture and The MIT Press are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Perspecta. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded on Fri, 25 Jan 2013 19:15:21 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 78 / OBOSZ MT ?zzN?4 W, FIuIu BIO AIII... n aII no. Nil . A, ,JA -SIA ,'I I 11F TIis avgunenl is pvesenled in lIe Jovn oJ pos- luIales, ov valIev pvovocalions, a naniJeslo on lIe lIing. TIe lIing Ias, in lIe Wesl, aIvas Ieen conceived as lIe passive, inevl, unvesisling olIev ov counlevpavl lo lIe suIjecl, conscious- ness, ov nind, lIal is, as nallev, suIslance, ov nounena.TIe lIing is lIal againsl vIicI nind is undevslood, ils olIev ov oIjecl. TIeve is anolIev Iess sslenalic and nove suInevged lvadilion oJ lIe lIing vilIin lIe Iis- lov oJ pIiIosopI, vIicI avguaII dales Jvon lIe vovI oJ Bavvin, and neandevs lIvougI NielzscIe, lo Feivce, Janes, Bevgson lo Bovl and BeIeuze. TIis counlev-lvadilion conceives oJ lIe lIing, nol as olIev, Iul as pvovocalion ov incilenenl Jov lIe suIjecl lIe lIing is lIal vIicI pvonpls us lo acl, lo invenl, lo pvaclice, lo exlend ouvseIves Ieond ouvseIves. WilIin lIis Ialev lvadilion, lIe lIing ilseIJ is divided ov dupIicaled. Il is IolI vesouvce ov vav naleviaI, lIe given ov slavling poinl oJ IiJe and lIe Iunan |Heideggev's slanding vesevve ov Lacan's BeaI), and il is aIso lIe pvoducl, eJJecl, ov conslvucl oJ lIe Iiving |Mavx's con- nodil, Bevgson's oIjecl). TIe lIing is IolI pve- and posl-lecInoIogicaI, lIal vIicI lecInoI- og Jinds given and venaIes as ils ovn. In lIis sense, lecInoIog nusl Ie undevslood lo Ie lIe second-ovdev lIing, lIe lIing lIal Jinds and naIes olIev lIings, as il ilseIJ Ias Ieen nade. WilIin lIe pvagnalisl lvadilion, lIe vovId ilseIJ, and ouv Ieing posilioned vilIin il, gen- evales queslions, pvoIIens, pvovocalions Jov IiJe vIal lo eal? Hov lo allain il? Hov lo Iive? B vIal neans? TIings ave lIe va in vIicI IiJe vesponds lo lIese pvovocalions. BolI inslincl and inleIIigence, IIind aninaI and inleIIigenlI divecled |pvinale ov nannaI) IeIaviovs, ave inciled I lIe veaI and pvoduce lIings, lIe division oJ lIe veaI, as lIeiv node oJ acling in lIe vovId and vendeving il nanage- aIIe. TIe lIing is a culling oul oJ lIe veaI, lIe soIidiJicalion oJ vIal exisls in lIe JIux oJ lIe veaI. Il is an oulIine inposed on lIe veaI I ouv puvposes and needs. TIis culling oJ lIe vovId, lIis vIillIing dovn oJ lIe pIelIova oJ lIe vovId's inlevpene- lvaling quaIilies inlo oIjecls anenaIIe lo ouv aclion, is a JundanenlaII conslvuclive pvo- cess ve naIe ov JaIvicale lIe vovId oJ oIjecls as an aclivil ve undevlaIe I Iiving vilI and assiniIaling oIjecls. We naIe oIjecls in ovdev lo Iive in lIe vovId. Ov, in anolIev, NielzscIean sense, ve nusl Iive in lIe vovId avlislicaII, as Iono JaIev. TIis pvocess oJ JaIvicalion oJ lIe vovId inlo lIings, oIjecls vilI cIeavI deIinilaIIe and delevninaIIe veIalions, Jinds ils naluvaI incIinalion divecled lo soIids.TIings ave soIids, conceived pvogvessiveI as nove and nove ninule in lIeiv Iasic conslilulion, as pIsics ilseIJ eIaIovales nove and nove ninule Jun- danenlaI pavlicIes. Yel pIsics ilseIJ venains incapaIIe oJ undevslanding vIal is JIuid, innu- nevaIIe, oulside caIcuIalion vilIoul veduclion lo soIids. Il is lIis JIux, lIougI, sonelines vec- ognized in pIiIosopI, lIal pvovides lIe condi- lion Jov lIe genevalion oJ nev lIings Jvon oId lIings. Ouv avlislicness, as NielzscIe puls il, ouv cvealivil, in Bevgsonian levns, consisls in nolIing eIse lIan lIe conlinuous expevinenla- lion vilI lIe vovId oJ lIings, lo pvoduce nev lIings Jvon lIe JIuidil ov JIux, vIicI eIude evevda need, ov use-vaIue. TecInoIog, as nelapvoduclion, is lIe vesuIl oJ lIe Iiving Ieing's capacil lo uliIize lIe non-Iiving |and lIe Iiving) pvoslIelicaII. TIis pvoslIelic exislence is lIe Iiving's depen- dence on and capacil lo Iavness and incov- povale lIe non-Iiving inlo ils IodiI pvaclices. WIal pvagnalisn enlaiIs is a vecognilion lIal lIe lecInoIogicaI is and aIvas Ias Ieen lIe condilion oJ Iunan aclion, as necessav Jov us This content downloaded on Fri, 25 Jan 2013 19:15:21 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions MININO AUTONOMY / 79 TIis papev vas Jivsl pvesenled as pavl oJ lIe conJevence enlilIed TIe Fvagnalisl Inaginalion TIinIing aIoul TIing. in lIe MaIing IeId al lIe TenpIe Hone BueII Cenlev Jov lIe Slud oJ Anevican AvcIilecluve al CoIunIia Univevsil, in Spving 2000. IIe I1in1 as lIings lIenseIves. TecInoIog can Ie con- ceived as lIe cuIluvaI covveIale oJ lIe lIing, vIicI is ilseIJ lIe Iunan ov Iiving covveIale oJ lIe naleviaIil oJ lIe vovId. Bevgson cIains lIal lIe inleIIecl lvans- Jovns nallev inlo lIings, vIicI vendev lIen as pvoslIeses, avliJiciaI ovgans, and in a suv- pvising vevevsaI, al lIe sane line as il Iunan- izes ov ovdevs naluve, il appends ilseIJ as a Iind oJ pvoslIesis lo inovganic nallev ilseIJ, lo Junclion as ils valionaI suppIenenl, ils con- scious vendeving. Mallev and IiJe Iecone veJIeclions, lIvougI lIe ovdeving lIe inleIIecl naIes oJ lIe vovId. TIings Iecone lIe nea- suve oJ IiJe's aclion upon lIen, lIings Iecone slanding vesevve, IiJe ilseIJ Iecones exlended lIvougI lIings. Inovganic nallev, lvansJovned inlo an innense ovgan, a pvoslIesis, lIvougI lIe inleI- Iecl, is pevIaps lIe nosl pvinovdiaI ov eIenen- lav deJinilion oJ avcIilecluve ilseIJ, vIicI is, in a sense, lIe Jivsl pvoslIesis, lIe Jivsl inslvu- nenlaI use oJ inleIIigence lo neId lIe vovId inlo lIings, lIvougI a cevlain pvinilive lecI- nicil, lo lIe needs oJ lIe Iiving. TIe inovganic Iecones lIe nivvov Jov lIe possiIIe aclion oJ lIe Iiving, lIe avnaluve and avcIilecluve neces- sav Jov lIe suvvivaI and evoIulion oJ lIe Iiving. TIe Iinil oJ lIe inleIIecl is in a sense lIe Iinil oJ lIe lecInicaI and lIe lecInoIogicaI. TIe inleIIecl Junclions lo dissecl, divide, alon- ize conlenpovav Iinavizalion and digilaIiza- lion ave sinpI lIe cuvvenl vevsions oJ lIis len- denc lo lIe cIeav-cul, lIe unanIiguous, lIe opposilion ov Iinav inpuIses oJ lIe inleIIecl, vIicI is Iound I lIe inpelus lo |evenluaI ov possiIIe) aclions. TIus lecInoIog is nol lIe supevcession oJ lIe lIing, Iul ils evev nove enlvencIed J unc- lioning. TIe lIing pevvades lecInoIog, vIicI is ils exlension, and exlends lIe Iunan inlo lIe naleviaI. TIe lasI IeJove us is nol so nucI lo naIe lIings and vesoIve veIalions inlo lIings, nove and nove ninuleI Jvaned and nicvoscopicaII undevslood. BalIev, il na Ie lo IiIevale nallev Jvon lIe conslvainl, lIe pvaclicaIil, uliIil oJ lIe lIing, lo ovienl lecInoIog nol so nucI lo Inoving and nedi- aling as lo expevience and lIe vicI indelevni- nac oJ duvalion. Inslead oJ undevslanding lIe lIing and lIe lecInoIogies il induces, lIvougI inleIIecl, in lIe Bevgsonian sense, pevIaps il can aIso Ie deveIoped lIvougI inluilion, lIal Bevgsonian appveIension oJ lIe unique pavlic- uIavil oJ lIings, and oJ lIe line vilIin vIicI lIings exisl. FevIaps lIe queslion aIead oJ us nov is lIis vIal ave lIe condilions oJ digilizalion and Iinavizalion? Can ve pvoduce lecInoIo- gies oJ olIev Iinds? Is lecInoIog inIevenlI sinpIiJicalion and veduclion oJ lIe veaI? WIal in us is Ieing exlended and pvoslIelicaII ven- deved in lecInoIogicaI deveIopnenl? Can olIev veclovs Ie exlended inslead? WIal nigIl a lecInoIog oJ pvocesses, valIev lIan lIings, IooI IiIe? This content downloaded on Fri, 25 Jan 2013 19:15:21 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions