Albert Borgmann

Albert Borgmann (born 1937) is an American philosopher, specializing in the philosophy of technology. He was born in Freiburg, Germany, and is a professor of philosophy at the University of Montana.

Philosophy

"Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life" (1984) contributed immensely to the emerging philosophical discussions of issues surrounding modern technology. Working from a Heideggerian viewpoint, Borgmann's book introduced the notion of the device paradigm, which he contrasted with what he called focal things and practices. The book "Technology and the Good Life" (see below) contains a collection of essays about these concepts.

"Crossing the Postmodern Divide" (1992) was a criticism of some of the features of modern life, which he characterized in terms of hyperreality and hyperactivity. Hyperactivity is often described as a pathological syndrome for the individual - both children and workaholics. Borgmann extends this notion of hyperactivity to society as a whole, and defines it as "a state of mobilization where the richness and variety of social and cultural pursuits, and the natural pace of daily life, have been suspended to serve a higher, urgent cause." (p14)

"Holding onto Reality" (1999) was about the balance of signs and things.

Published Works

Books by Borgmann

*"Philosophy of Language: Historical Foundations and Contemporary Issues" (1977) ISBN 902471589X
*"Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life: A Philosophical Inquiry" (1984) ISBN 0226066290
*"The question of Heidegger and technology: A critical review of the literature" (1987) ASIN B0007179HY
*"Crossing the Postmodern Divide" (1992) ISBN 0226066274
*"Holding onto Reality: The Nature of Information at the Turn of the Millennium" (1999) ISBN 0226066231
*"Power Failure: Christianity in the Culture of Technology" (2003) ISBN 1587430584
*"Real American Ethics: Taking Responsibility for Our Country.", University of Chicago Press (2006) ISBN 0-226-06634-7 cite news |url=http://www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/hfs.cgi/00/203877.ctl
publisher=University of Chicago Press
title=Borgmann, Albert Real American Ethics: Taking Responsibility for Our Country. 232 p. 6 x 9 2006|date=2006-08-17]

Essays by Borgmann

* Chapter by Borgmann in Buchanan, Richard and Victor Margolin, editors "Discovering Design: Explorations in Design Studies". University of Chicago Press (1995) ISBN 0-226-07815-9
* [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/SPT/v7n1/borgmann.html "Kinds of Pragmatism"] (Fall 2003)

About Borgmann

* Higgs, Eric et al, "Technology and the Good Life" University of Chicago Press, 2000. ISBN 0-226-33387-6.
* [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/SPT/v6n1/ Techné: Journal of the Society for Philosophy and Technology, Fall 2002] . Special issue discussing "Holding onto Reality.

Notes

References

ee also

*Device paradigm

External links

* [http://www.cas.umt.edu/featured/borgmann/borgmann.htm Brief Biography (College of Arts and Sciences, University of Montana)]
* [http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/borghayl.html An interview/dialogue with Albert Borgmann and N. Katherine Hayles on humans and machines] (1999)
* [http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2901 Albert Borgmann on Taming Technology] Interview by David Wood, August 2003.