On Contemporary Science And Technology Alienation

In the academic research, alienation is an old concept, which has practicalsignificance. The word alienation came from the Greek allotresis firstly, and then wastransplanted to Latin alienation. Alienation has multiple meanings in origins of itsconcept. In theology, alienation mainly refers to a kind of original sin which alienateshuman from God; in sociology, it mainly refers to the separation between theindividual and the others, the society, and the nation; in law and economics, it mainlyrefers to the value generating and transferring of the right and property; and inphilosophy, it mainly refers to the subject-object opposition or the mutual denial ofspirit and existence caused by the subject-object dichotomy idea of ancient Greek.The concept of alienation developed greatly in German classical philosophy, thusmaking it has more diverse and richer connotations. For example, Fichte called it anobject of human self-consciousness, and Hegel viewed it as "externalization" or"materialized" of the absolute spirit. The concepts of Marx’s and Hegel’s "alienation"are different from each other. The former refers to the alienation of the reality, whilethe latter refers to the "alienation of spirit". Marxism holds that alienation is ahistorical category, and a social phenomenon that the alien force formed by the humanmaterial production and its products, ruling human in turn. The major source ofalienation is the private ownership, and its ultimate source is the immobilized divisionof social labor. Alienation can be understood as a kind of bondage of or reactionagainst its nature. For the bondage or slavery to people, alienation is a form of slaveryto people’s nature or activities. For people itself, alienation is both a phenomenon anda reflection of the nature.Science and technology alienation is a concept evolved from alienation theory ofMarxism. The so-called science and technology alienation, refers to objects that areused, shaped, or practiced by technology, or created by people’s use of technology. It’snot the positive affirmation to the essential force and its procedure of practical andtechnological subjects, but in turn becomes an essential force of depressing,constraining, revenging and denying the subject, and an alien force that is not conducive to human survival and development. Science and technology alienation,both relates to other forms of alienation, but also has its own social existence andmechanism of action.The paper mainly includes three parts: introduction (Chapter1), body (Chapter2-6) and conclusion.Chapter1IntroductionThis chapter mainly covers the theoretical and practical significance of the topicas well as the research background, present research and its trends at home and abroad,the author’s train of thought, methodology and the innovation and deficiency of thedissertation. This paper explores the etymology of science and technology alienationfrom the specific content, setting the exploration within the scope of the Marxisttheory, namely, science and technology alienation is that “a real and truly emergingalienation”. Science and technology alienation is related to both human cognition andpractice. Like other alienations, the appearance and existence of science andtechnology alienation, is constrained by Marx’s "two premises"(i.e."privateproperty" and "social division of labor") concerning the existence and sublation ofalienation. Therefore, science and technology alienation exists, but is not limited tocapitalist society. Meanwhile, alienation has association with materialization andobjectification. Materialization is a change of the real world through labor, and thesubject’s active reflection on the object and practical material presentation of thepurpose and understanding achieved through labor practice. Alienation is manifestedby materialization and objectification, which is a negative and distorted statepresented by the objectification. In addition, this paper also discusses the socialexistence and performance of science and technology alienation on the whole, layingseveral theoretical premises for the study of subsequent sections.Chapter2Marxist Practice Viewpoint and Science and Technology AlienationThis Chapter explores the emergence of science and technology alienation underthe perspective of Marxist practice viewpoint as well as the interpretations of scienceand technology alienation by different ideologies.The existence of realistic man is themost significant philosophic proposition. It is not only a natural but also social existence. That is, man’s productive activity is integrated with a certain productivemode. It is the integration of productive forces and productive relations as well as asocial relation among people based on that integration.This chapter tries to understand the logic of science and technology under theMarxist theory, noting the inherent unity of theoretical premise in Marx’s"Existentialism" position and "realistic individual", pointing out the theoreticalcharacter of Marxism,"revolution" and innovation of Engels’ Dialectics of Nature,thus revealing the theoretical vitality of Marxist science and technology theory, basedon which the cause and mechanism of science and technology alienation are analyzed.The discussion of alienation implies the revolutionary, critical Marxism. The mostimportant theoretical character of Marxism is not only to explain the world, but moreimportantly, to change the world. The discussion of alienation becomes a critique andreflection to the reality, and a judge to the meaning and value of the existing objectsand their way of existence. As Marx’s analysis of the relationship of human existence,all the existing objects are not static but dynamic, which are interactively caused by avariety of factors in the evolution process. Human nature is not rigid, immutable, butconstantly developing. So the alienation itself becomes a manifestation of humanexistence, and a denial of human existence practice. Thus, the practice of humanexistence becomes a historic activity.Science and technology alienation has inherent logical association with otherforms of alienation. As can be seen from the actual mechanism of its relationship,science and technology alienation is the alienation of human, so various forms ofalienation including science and technology alienation have unity of opposites ofspecific and general characteristics. The true and real alienation presented by Marx isthe alienation of "real man", which exists in the concrete society. Therefore, theexploration of causes and mechanism of science and technology alienation, can beexpanded in terms of history and reality, perception and thought, the institutionalsystem and so on.Chapter3Man and Nature: The Control of Nature through Science andTechnology Alienation This chapter focuses on the theoretical and practical performance and mechanismof the relationship between human and nature, and starts from the thought that Marx’sconcept of science and that of nature is a unified "science". Human status and role inthe nature are firstly analyzed in terms of the context of practical existentialism.Practice is the base of the relation between nature and man, i.e. man obtain livingmaterials from nature through practice, and hence achieve the existence of their ownlife, but meanwhile, they make themselves more dependent on the laws of natural andsocial development. As far as the relation between man and nature, the possession ofthe “social man” to “nature man”, that is, the generation process of "man’s realnature". Marx affirmed the status of "real man", and it includes man’s role in nature.The development of human nature is closely in touch with the relationshipbetween people and nature. At the same time, Marx believed that this developmentwill go through the self-preservation and self-denial process, which is not a simple,brutal denial, but a process of both reservation and overcoming. Of course for nature,human can never completely exclude all the criteria applicable to human society fromnature, but just use the tough attitude and the completely conqueror role to treat thenature, presenting the full possession of the subject to object. That approach to thenature like bloody and cruel colonial rule in human society is reflecting the colonialrule and plunder of a part of people to another part of people covered by the nature,because the natural alienation will present through the relationship between people.Marx’s idea of "one science" has a guiding significance for the analysis of therelationship between man and nature caused by science and technologyalienation, and is also one of the most important theoretical paths for alien sublation.The alienation of relationship between man and nature is actually the reflectionof people’s discrepancy in cognition and interest. The conflict between man andnature resulting from the control of nature by science and technology as well as theplunder and enslavement nature caused by institution and driven byprofit, puts human society in an unprecedented ecological crisis. As aresult, the sublation of alienation must concentrate on the internal combination of thereal man and the natural man as well as the natural salvation and real salvation. Chapter4Man and Society: Science and Technology Alienation and its Controlon SocietyThis chapter focuses on the alienation of man from society and its mechanism ofemergence and performance. From the point of view of the theory of existence andpractice, man’s very existence and practice, as a social existence, illustrates thehistoricalness of human society. As a historical existence, man’s existential andpractical activity is both the premise and the result of history, which embodies theunity of historicalness, reality and concreteness. So it is necessary to explore itshistorical development and social origins. This mainly includes: science andtechnology alienation’s change and performance in human history after the rise ofmodern natural science; the analysis of the inherent connection of capitalism,production mode, and science and technology alienation, and also the analysis of theirindividuality and common character, the exploration to the origins of the socialsystem, economic patterns, production modes and other aspects under the alienationof science and technology.Marx’s “three-form-theory" concerning man’s social development has a greateffect on considering the existence and manifestation of science and technologyalienation in society. Man’s independence and liberation from the nature only meanshis liberation from natural necessity, but he is still subject to the slavery of socialnecessity. As a result, for the society that is dependent on material， man is ruled bythe things they create, which can be seen as the reason for the appearance ofalienation. At the same time, the appearance of alienation associates with thecommodity economy, but there is also the commodity economy existing in the naturaleconomic society, so it follows that science and technology alienation sprouted innatural economic society, developed and accelerated in commodity economic society.But only in the communist economic society, can man’s freedom and liberation aswell as the sublation of science and technology alienation be achieved.In Marx’s opinion, the conflict of objectification raised from science andtechnology alienation as well as the bondage and slavery of man by technologicalknowledge and physical forms, can only be replaced by the harmony and compatibility between man and technology in production economic society. Theemergence of this situation is mainly determined by the social form of productioneconomic society. In such a social form, people have freer lifestyle to produce, live,study and work. Objective necessity contained by alienation no longer enslaves andcontrol people. On the contrary, the necessity has been understood and mastered bypeople. As a result, people’s space of living and development will become moreextensive, thus a high-level harmony between people and technology can be achievedin the material field.Chapter5Man and Man: The Control of Science and Technology Alienation onManThis chapter mainly focuses on the alienation of people’s cognition and mentalitycaused by technology development. Man’s cognition and mental alienation are causedby and based on the above-mentioned practical alienation, including the alienation oftechnology itself as a result of man’s cognition, and the lack and alienation of societyand man’s mentality caused by the practical development. On one hand, this reflectsthe fragmentation and conflict between the "two cultures" of science and humanity.On the other hand, it shows that man’s spiritual world is guided and changed by thephysical world, which makes his spiritual way of living change violently, or succumbto the reality. This not only affects man’s spiritual world, and even completely changeshimself.Man’s belief that science and technology is a kind of culture makes their spiritualworld subject to the regulatory requirements of technology constantly, becausetechnology can solve all the problems of reality, and make people live a better life, sosubjecting to technology is benefiting man himself. However, with the deepening ofthe social development and technological civilization, people need to pay more inorder to meet the requirements of science and technology, which will inevitably bringabout individual and social fatigue, accompanied by personal spiritual exhaustion,social and natural fatigue. In the bondage of man’s alienation brought about byscience and technology alienation, the obedience from technology is in fact the stateof being enslaved by technology. Man has a growing need to stay in a standardized space and direction, which is an injury to the individuality, even a destruction andrestriction to personal mental space.In the process of man’s social practice and realistic existence, technologicaldevelopment is changing and enriching people’s modern life, and at the same timealso results in the scientific and technological way of living. While people are highlydependent on science and technology, their capacities are also weakened by it.Moreover, science and technology alienation also brings about a comprehensivealienation of people’s lives, cognitions, and spirits, which produces a powerful controlon people’s thoughts and development. The control of people by science andtechnology alienation, is actually still the conflict among people as well as a reflectionof the realistic contradiction in people’s inner world. The sublation of man’s innerworld alienation caused by science and technology cannot be realized by spiritualawakening and resistance, but through the practical operation of social basiccontradictions and the material force of social reality.Chapter6Value Orientation of the Sublation of Science-and-TechnologyAlienationThis chapter explores the value orientation of sublating science and technologyalienation based on the above five chapters. Viewed from the perspectives of socialexistence and social consciousness, alienation is the manifestation of material’s actualforce, and also a reflection of the social consciousness, so it is correspondent to thealienation of science and technology. Humanized science and technology isundoubtedly the major trend of the sublation and development of science andtechnology. As a result, on the basis of human history and reality practice, theintegration of technology and humanistic thoughts can be presented as the realizationof common social consciousness about the science and technology alienation, and theactive influence of social awareness on the sublation of alienation.In the field of the relationship between man and nature, the sublation of scienceand technology alienation is synchronized with the construction of ecologicalcivilization. Man must constantly liberate and update economic development,production mode as well as lifestyle to achieve the reconciliation between man and nature, the unity of the essence of human and nature existence, and the coordinationof nature existence and social benefits, and continuously regulate his behavior. Onlyin this way, can the promising future of sustainable development and ecologicalcivilization construction be achieved.In the field of the relationship between man and society, science and technologyalienation means one-sided or "one-dimensional" development. The sublation ofscience and technology alienation ultimately depends on the material force, namely,the production development and the revolution of productive mode, thus realizing thecoordination of material and spiritual development, and the coordination of individualand social development as well as the coordination of scientific development andsocial progress. A "people-oriented" harmonious society can be built only whenrealizing the common development of individual, society, and nature.In the field of the relationship between man and man, science and technologyalienation means the denial and one-sided development of people. The sublation ofscience and technology alienation shares the same way with man’s development.Man’s all-round development contains their labor activity, labor capacity, socialrelation, free individuality, morality and the development of human beings as a whole,and eventually achieves the adequate, overall and harmonious development of all theabove, which also shows the achievement of freedom and the emancipation of "arealistic man".In Marx’s opinion, the sublation of alienation and the realization of humanfreedom are not just beautiful dreams about human self-development and the futuresociety. First of all, Marx has found a way to achieve human freedom, namely, theprocess from the realm of necessity to the realm of freedom in the development ofhuman society. Secondly, in such a process, human experience two phases: naturalnecessity and social inevitability. The former refers to the people who are undernature’s control, and the latter indicates that people are under the control of socialalienation power created by people themselves. Finally, in the developing processfrom the realm of necessity to the realm of freedom, the realm of necessity continuesto lay the practical foundation for real realm of freedom, and the realm of freedom is the inevitable trend of the realm of necessity. In such a transition, the realm offreedom and the realm of necessity achieve a unity in people’s free consciousactivities.ConclusionThis part chiefly emphasizes the promoting effect of science and technologydevelopment on social fundamental contradictions and social development, pointingout that the sublation of science and technology alienation will be a long historicalprocess. It reflects the continuous achieving process of human freedom and liberation,and also the development of social historical reality. The sublation of science andtechnology alienation needs the help of the development of social production, on thebasis of which can social relationship revolution, human material liberation, andspiritual freedom be achieved.In fact, even in a communist society where science and technology alienation hasbeen sublated, the development of human beings and society still has the nature ofdialectical development, namely, all contradictions existing in society will lose thepractical foundation, with the old unity of opposites disappearing and the new unity ofopposites appearing. The production of science and technology alienation is aninevitable stage of human development, which reflects man’s transitionaldevelopment from natural necessity to social inevitability. Man has mastered thenatural necessity, but is still bound by the social necessity. However, the sublation ofscience and technology alienation indicates that human development breaks throughthe bondage of social inevitability, and achieves human voluntary activities andhuman freedom and liberation. But it must be emphasized that this freedom andliberation is relative to history and reality, that is, man’s present solution to problemsfaced with technology, rather than the permanent resolution to conflicts faced withman.The sublation of science and technology alienation is a long process. However,the realistic man’s living significance, value of life and their index of well-being areembodied in today’s social existence and practical activity. We need to dedicateourselves to today’s reflection and improvement, to take an optimistic attitude, and to believe that man will eventually deepen their understanding through practice.Consequentially, man will have sufficient wisdom to counter the persecution ofscience and technology alienation and recover their dignity, value and the originalsignificance of their existential and practical activities, achieve the sublation ofscience and technology alliance as well as man’s free and all-round development bychanging the realistic objects and social existence.