康吉莱姆的技术观

Canguilhem’s View on Technology

法国哲学家康吉莱姆不仅在科学史和科学哲学有着重要的地位,关于技术问题也有着深入而独创性的思考。康吉莱姆的技术观可从三个方面来理解:首先,技术先于科学,通过重新解读笛卡尔,指出人类通过技术、工具等展开的实践活动是一种有缺陷的活动,总是容易出错的活动,但这些错误反而引导人们进一步展开科学的理论认知活动,从而才得以形成各门科学中的知识与真理;其次,技术源于生命,通过技术制造出来的工具和机器可以视作一种人为的器官;再次,技术是一种创造,这种创造乃是人作为劳作的人的根本特征之一。

The French philosopher Georges Canguilhem not only plays an important role in the history of science and philosophy of science,but also has profound and original insights on technology.Canguilhem’s view on technology may be apprehended in terms of three dimensions:(1)Technology precedes science.By re-interpreting Descartes’ideas,he showed that human practice,in form of technology and tools,is a kind of defective activity,which easily resulted in errors,and these errors lead people to carry out further theoretical cognitive activities in science.Hence knowledge and truth in various sciences could be emerged and formed.(2)Technology derives from life.The instruments and machines should be regarded as artificial organs.(3)Technology is a kind of creation.It is one of the basic characteristics of human beings as homo faber.