This investigation provides an in-depth exploration of the dialectics of action and technology in the works of French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, both in terms of the concrete use contexts of technological artifacts and the entanglement between individual agents and their sociotechnical surroundings. Furthermore, it briefly outlines some potentials of Sartre’s thoughts for debates in contemporary philosophy of technology. Throughout his works, Sartre approaches human action from different yet dialectically interrelated perspectives that are always accompanied by and developed in relation to (...) reflections about technology. Against the background of a complementary conception of human action that is derived from Sartre’s major works, the implementation of matter in the course of action primarily represents an instrumentalization. Things are thus always disclosed as implement things due to the practical character of human existence. Although things do not prescribe action, the material characteristics and properties of these things render them more useful for attaining some and more adverse for attaining other ends. Despite the ontological freedom of human beings, their position in societal forms of organization, to which Sartre refers to as practical ensembles, delimits their choice of means and necessitates them to satisfy their needs and desires with the limited means available. In this way, la force des choses arises, not as a result of the characteristics of technology but as an outcome of sociality and politics. (shrink)

This article explores the topic of technology in Michel Serres’ work. Although a great deal has been said about Serres’ treatment of parasitic relations, noise, interdisciplinarity and communication, little has been written about his approach to questions of technology. The author first outlines general trends in the philosophy of technology and indicates how Serres fits within the field. He then suggests a way to read Serres by identifying ‘landmarks’ in his texts, which are used for explicating his position on technology. (...) Three of these landmarks are explored. The first is Serres’ philosophy of world-objects, which moves him to think through the relationship between humans, technology and natural evolution. The second is Serres’ notion of technologies ‘setting sail’ from the body, which allows him to build on Leroi-Gourhan’s work, and the third is Serres’ description of information technologies and the world of millennials, which leads to his position on pedagogy and technology. From an examination of these three landmarks, a picture emerges of a thinker for whom technology acts as a disturbance around which collectives form, establishing relations and deviations between ourselves and others. (shrink)