The Public Thing: On the Idea of a Politics of Artefacts

Mark Coeckelbergh

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Is there a politics of artifacts, and if so, what does it mean? Defining the issue as a problem about the relation between the human and the non-human, I argue that our common philosophical concepts bar us from an adequate understanding of this problem. Using the work of Hannah Arendt and Bruno Latour, I explore an escape route that involves a radical redefinition of the social. But the cost of this solution is high: we would lose the metaphysical foundation for our belief in the absolute value and dignity of humans. We should pay that prize only if we gain a better understanding of what we are doing and what we want to do together – with things.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)175-181
JournalTechné: Research in Philosophy and Technology
Volume13
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009

Fingerprint

Artifact
Redefinition
Philosophical Concepts
Bruno Latour
Route
Metaphysical
Nonhuman
Hannah Arendt
Costs
Dignity

Keywords

  • IR-76111
  • Politics of artifacts
  • Non-humans
  • The social
  • Arendt
  • Latour

Cite this

Coeckelbergh, Mark. / The Public Thing : On the Idea of a Politics of Artefacts. In: Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology. 2009 ; Vol. 13, No. 3. pp. 175-181.
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Coeckelbergh, M 2009, 'The Public Thing: On the Idea of a Politics of Artefacts' Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 175-181. https://doi.org/10.5840/techne200913320

The Public Thing : On the Idea of a Politics of Artefacts. / Coeckelbergh, Mark.

In: Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology, Vol. 13, No. 3, 2009, p. 175-181.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic

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Coeckelbergh M. The Public Thing: On the Idea of a Politics of Artefacts. Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology. 2009;13(3):175-181. https://doi.org/10.5840/techne200913320

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