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Biotechnics and politics: A genealogy of nonhuman technology

Vollgraff, Matthew ; Tamborini, Marco (2024)
Biotechnics and politics: A genealogy of nonhuman technology.
In: History of Science, 62 (3)
doi: 10.1177/00732753231187676
Artikel, Bibliographie

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Kurzbeschreibung (Abstract)

This article presents a new perspective on the intersection of technology, biology, and politics in modern Germany by examining the history of biotechnics, a nonanthropocentric concept of technology that was developed in German-speaking Europe from the 1870s to the 1930s. Biotechnics challenged the traditional view of technology as exclusively a human creation, arguing that nature itself could also be a source of technical innovations. Our study focuses on the contributions of Ernst Kapp, Raoul Heinrich Francé, and Alf Giessler, highlighting the gradual shift in political perspectives that influenced the merging of nature and technology in their respective visions of biotechnics. From Kapp’s liberal radicalism to Francé’s social organicism and ultimately to Giessler’s totalitarian fascism, their writings increasingly vitalized technology by portraying it as a natural force independent from human influence. The history of biotechnics sheds light on previously unexplored aspects of debates surrounding the sciences and philosophy of technology in Germany, while also foreshadowing contemporary discussions on technocultural hybridity. As a genealogy of the idea of nonhuman technology, the article raises perturbing questions about the political implications of conflating nature and culture.

Typ des Eintrags: Artikel
Erschienen: 2024
Autor(en): Vollgraff, Matthew ; Tamborini, Marco
Art des Eintrags: Bibliographie
Titel: Biotechnics and politics: A genealogy of nonhuman technology
Sprache: Englisch
Publikationsjahr: September 2024
Ort: London, England
Verlag: SAGE Publications
Titel der Zeitschrift, Zeitung oder Schriftenreihe: History of Science
Jahrgang/Volume einer Zeitschrift: 62
(Heft-)Nummer: 3
DOI: 10.1177/00732753231187676
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Kurzbeschreibung (Abstract):

This article presents a new perspective on the intersection of technology, biology, and politics in modern Germany by examining the history of biotechnics, a nonanthropocentric concept of technology that was developed in German-speaking Europe from the 1870s to the 1930s. Biotechnics challenged the traditional view of technology as exclusively a human creation, arguing that nature itself could also be a source of technical innovations. Our study focuses on the contributions of Ernst Kapp, Raoul Heinrich Francé, and Alf Giessler, highlighting the gradual shift in political perspectives that influenced the merging of nature and technology in their respective visions of biotechnics. From Kapp’s liberal radicalism to Francé’s social organicism and ultimately to Giessler’s totalitarian fascism, their writings increasingly vitalized technology by portraying it as a natural force independent from human influence. The history of biotechnics sheds light on previously unexplored aspects of debates surrounding the sciences and philosophy of technology in Germany, while also foreshadowing contemporary discussions on technocultural hybridity. As a genealogy of the idea of nonhuman technology, the article raises perturbing questions about the political implications of conflating nature and culture.

Freie Schlagworte: Biotechnics, philosophy of technology, Ernst Kapp, Raoul Francé, German history and politics
ID-Nummer: PubMed: 37768076
Sachgruppe der Dewey Dezimalklassifikatin (DDC): 100 Philosophie und Psychologie > 100 Philosophie
900 Geschichte und Geografie > 900 Geschichte
Fachbereich(e)/-gebiet(e): 02 Fachbereich Gesellschafts- und Geschichtswissenschaften
02 Fachbereich Gesellschafts- und Geschichtswissenschaften > Institut für Philosophie
Hinterlegungsdatum: 01 Okt 2024 09:34
Letzte Änderung: 01 Okt 2024 09:34
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