Technology in the present day and age is clearly ripe in constructing and influencing human society. Within western civilisations technology has become a key component in the completion of day to day activities. Take a university student for example; the student may start the day by the alarm signalling from their smart phone. The student will make their breakfast by putting some bread in a toaster, followed by commuting to their University via tram. They will sit in a lecture and write down information from the PowerPoint the lecturer is using. It seems that many of the day to day activities are made possible by the use of technological apparatuses. This paper will approach the meaning of technology in a philosophical sense. It will specifically utilise the work from two of the most influential theorists within modern thought; Karl Marx (1817-1887) and Marin Heidegger (1887-1978).
Philosophy as a whole is interested in the pursuit of meaning and wisdom within knowledge with the aim to enlighten subjects and find truth. The examination into the philosophy of technology can be a difficult assignment. There are many elements to take into consideration when dealing with the subject of technology (Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, 2010). In order to begin this inquest some foundation is needed in order to completely understand the position of this essay. It is important to begin by considering what technology this essay will be concerned with. Given that the subject of technology is rather broad, technology can take on various descriptions. In a non-philosophical sense technology is widely thought of as the application of technological knowledge for practical purposes particularly in industries, manufacturing etc.; inclusive of the global activity concerned with this, the mechanical art and the applied science (New English Dictionary, 2011). However, within philosophy the inquest into technology is approached by attempting to understand the meaning of technology,...