Invasive Technification: Critical Essays in the Philosophy of Technology

Technology has extended its reach to the humanbody, not just in a literal sense, through implants, transplants andtechnological substitutes for biological organs, but in a more figurative sensetoo. Technological infrastructure and the institutions of a technified society todaydetermine what perception is, how we communicate and what forms of humanrelationship with the natural world are possible. A fundamental new conceptionof technology is urgently needed. Technology can no longer be seen as a meansfor efficiently attaining pre-established ends. Rather, it must be seen as a total structure which makes new forms ofhuman action and human relationship possible, while limiting the possibilitiesof others.

In InvasiveTechnification, acclaimed German philosopher Gernot Böhme offers a readingof technology that explores the many dimensions in which technology presentschallenges for modern human beings. It is a book about the preservation ofhumanity and humane values under the demanding conditions of a technicallyadvanced civilisation and makes a major contribution to the contemporaryphilosophy of technology.