Alternative Technology: Studying On The Hermeneutics Of Technology

The work analyzes central role of interpretation in the technology .In the first place , I have attempted to explore the possibilities, that is ,whether the hermeneutics is suitable for interpreting the techne. Based on tacit understanding , the unity of humanities and natural science has been studied , and I argue that the technology is characteristic of humanities because it is both the natural and the social. While talking about the concept of technology , anti-essentialist's view and the family resemblance have been introduced. Further, those theses , such as the forestructure in techne-understanding , the tool's ready-to-hand and present-to-hand , and the hermeneutical cycle in techne-understanding , have been reflected on thoroughly . As a case study , the events at Three Mile Island is interpreted in the term of hermeneutics.In the second place , the hermeneutics of technological knowledge has been considered . While opposing the 'technology as applied science', and recognizing that the technological knowledge is an important type of technology , I criticize the epistemology of technology for its ignoring the tacit knowledge ,especially for it defies the fact that the tacit understanding is no other than the forestructure of understanding.Accordingly, the tacitness of techne-understanding , the tacitness of technological knowledge ,and the interaction between the tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge , have been illustrated hermeneutically . As a case study , I have pointed out that the tacit knowledge is such an integral part even to the nuclear weapon design and production.In the third place , the hermeneutics of technological activity suggest that the research paradigms of SCOT or SST, such as interpretative flexibility , technological frame , technological style and actor-network , can be integerated into the hermeneutics of technology in some sense . From the point view of philosophy of design , the two kinds of technological design mode , that is , atomistic language model of design and philosophical hermeneuticalmodel of design have been compared and evaluated . As an embodiment and extension , the technical code and its hermeneutic dimension has been investigated .In the fourth place , the hermeneutics of technical artifact has been formed excitingly . Following the Latour' s general symmetry principle , the thesis of technical artifact as text has been demonstrated . Based on the concept and method of script analysis , multiple script in innovation , genderscrip in technology have been developed . What is more , to stress the script's obduracy and interpretative flexibility between the designer and the user , the moral delegation to the technical artifact , the technological drama , the affordance of technology and the domesticating technology have been interpreted from the hermeneutic horizon .On the whole , that the dissertation contribute to the philosophy of technology embody four aspects as follow : extending the hermeneutic characteristics of Dasein as techne-Being ; Enriching the meaning of text within the philosophical hermeneutics ; Standing out the fact that , to great extent , the technology belongs to the humanities . Strengthening the importance of intentionality in the philosophy of technology .