Albert Borgmann (born 1937) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

-born

American philosopher This is a list of American philosophers; of philosophers who are either from, or spent many productive years of their lives in the United States. {, border="0" style="margin:auto;" class="toccolours" , - ! {{MediaWiki:Toc , - , style="text-ali ...

, specializing in the

philosophy of technology The philosophy of technology is a sub-field of philosophy that studies the nature of technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also m ...

. He was born in

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, and is a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...

of philosophy at the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...

. In 2013 Borgmann received the Golden Eurydice Award for his contributions to philosophy.

Philosophy

Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life ''Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life: A Philosophical Inquiry'' is a 1984 book by Albert Borgmann (born 1937), an American philosopher, specializing in the philosophy of technology. Borgmann was born in Freiburg, Germany, and is ...

'' (1984) contributed to the emerging philosophical discussions of issues surrounding modern technology. Following a

Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; ; 26 September 188926 May 1976) was a German philosopher who is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. He is among the most important and influential philosophers of the 20th centu ...

ian viewpoint, Borgmann introduced the notion of the

device paradigm In the philosophy of technology, the device paradigm is the way " technological devices" are perceived and consumed in modern society, according to Albert Borgmann. It explains the intimate relationship between people, things and technological dev ...

to explain what constitutes technology's essence loosely based on Heidegger's notion of

Gestell ''Gestell'' (or sometimes ''Ge-stell'') is a German word used by twentieth-century German philosopher Martin Heidegger to describe what lies behind or beneath modern technology. Heidegger introduced the term in 1954 in ''The Question Concerning Tec ...

(enframing). The book explores the limitations of conventional ways of thinking about technology and its social context, both liberal democratic ideals and Marxist lines of thought. ''Crossing the Postmodern Divide'' (1992) is a techno-religious book characterized in terms of hyperreality and

hyperactivity Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inappr ...

. Hyperactivity is usually described as a pathological syndrome of the child and workaholic, and associated with the familiar symptoms of stress and overwork. Borgmann extends the concept 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" (p. 14).

Christopher Lasch Robert Christopher Lasch (June 1, 1932 – February 14, 1994) was an American historian, moralist and social critic who was a history professor at the University of Rochester. He sought to use history to demonstrate what he saw as the pervasive ...

sees this as a kind of militarization of society – "the suspension of civility, the rule of the vanguard, and the subordination of civilians." Meanwhile, critics such as Douglas Kellner have challenged Borgmann's distinction between the real and hyperreal and his denigration of hyperreality as problematic. In ''Real American Ethics'' (2006), distancing himself from both conservative and liberal ideology, Borgmann explores the role of Americans in the making of American values, and proposes new ways for ordinary citizens to improve the country, through individual and social choices and actions. Some of Borgmann's work has also influenced Catholic theologians, who typically interpret Borgmann's work in support of the position that technology is something to be overcome and that religion (i.e. Roman Catholicism) is to be humanity's saving grace. Meanwhile, other Christian writers such as Marva Dawn have drawn on Borgmann's notion of the device paradigm to develop a critique of the church in its capitulation to commodification where worship, for example, becomes a device to attract and please.

Bibliography

Books

*''Philosophy of Language: Historical Foundations and Contemporary Issues'' (1977) *'' Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life: A Philosophical Inquiry'' (1984) *''Crossing the Postmodern Divide'' (1992) *''Holding onto Reality: The Nature of Information at the Turn of the Millennium'' (1999) . Se
the introduction
to the book. *''Power Failure: Christianity in the Culture of Technology'' (2003) *''Real American Ethics: Taking Responsibility for Our Country.'', University of Chicago Press (2006) . Se

from the book.

Essays

* "The Question of Heidegger and Technology: A Critical Review of the Literature," (with the assistance of Carl Mitcham), ''Philosophy Today'' 23 (1987): 97-194. * Chapter by Borgmann in Buchanan, Richard and Victor Margolin, editors ''Discovering Design: Explorations in Design Studies''. University of Chicago Press (1995)

(Fall 2003)

References

External links

Brief Biography (College of Arts and Sciences, University of Montana)
(1999) * ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070109212857/http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2901 Albert Borgmann on Taming TechnologyInterview by David Wood, August 2003.
Albert Borgmann on "Cyberspace, Cosmology, and the Meaning of Life"
published in Ubiquity: Volume 8, Issue 7 (February 20, 2007 - February 26, 2007).
Interview with Albert Borgmann. Figure/Ground. April 16th, 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borgmann, Albert Living people 1937 births Philosophers from Montana Philosophers of technology Hyperreality theorists University of Montana faculty Heidegger scholars