Technology, artificiality, and human beings in the later Nishida philosophy

Masato Shirai

pp. 23-40

in: Thomas Taro Lennerfors, Kiyoshi Murata (eds), Tetsugaku companion to Japanese ethics and technology, Berlin, Springer, 2019

Abstrakt

In this chapter, I will elucidate Nishida's philosophy of technology. Nishida thought technology can exist in harmony with humans and nature. For example, when we try to make a wooden statue, we should do so in accordance with the nature of the wood. If we violate it, the wood will break and we cannot complete the statue. Thus, we cannot make anything if we go against nature. However, the harmony between humans and nature is destroyed in the modern age. This situation is based on the problems of human reason. Because our reason can be beyond reality, our reason removes reality. As a result, our reason causes subjectivism and anthropocentrism. We lose objectivity and humanity. Technology reached the same fate. Technology loses its objectivity and humanity. Furthermore, technology becomes technology for its own sake and oppresses humans. In order to recover humanity in technology, we should use technology not to alienate oppressed people, but for the inclusion of alienated people. Technology must be utilized for designing a new society which can be accessed and used by all people regardless of age, size, ability, or disability. It is important for better technology to encounter oppressed people as "thee" and hear "thy" voice.

Cited authors

Nishida Kitarô