121688 November 9, 2015

Ph118: Contemporary Philosophy Prof. Remmon E. Barbaza, Ph.D.

Modern Technology and the Forgetfulness of Being

Bedazzled by what modern technology can do, man has become dependent on it

to the point that he is a slave, a pet leashed and awaiting the next order. The modern

man, proud with his technological triumphs, is yet at a loss-- a loss of himself.

Unconsciously, man has become enslaved, and almost every single day of his life is

determined by the functionality of modern tools.

Almost every millennial is addicted to social media, and video games. Adults, and

professionals cannot live without their cellphones, and emails. In fact, doctors are now on

call. But at what point is this dependency that we now come to characterize it as slavery?

It is evident in the youth’s addiction to the internet, in the capitalist’s exploitation of

environmental resources to the point of destruction, in burning fuel every day just to get

to work, and in the frustrations that arise with the absence of technological facilities such

as the signal, internet, TV, live updates, etc. Like a person inexplicably addicted to drugs,

modern man goes into an outburst of fury and emotional turmoil the moment he is

deprived of modern technology. In fact, Martin Heidegger said in his Memorial Address

“But suddenly and unaware we find ourselves so firmly shackled to these technical

devices that we fall bondage to them (Heidegger, 1966).” The address was delivered sixty

years ago, yet its relevance today is haunting.

Man has grown into a thoughtless being with his lack of contemplative thinking and

over valorization of calculative thinking (Heidegger, 1966). His thoughtfulness is directly

at the very essence of his being, and as such man is a thinking being (Heidegger, 1966).

However, what is visible now is that man does not think-- think in the sense of

contemplative or meditative thinking. Heidegger points out that nowadays we take in

everything in the quickest and cheapest way, only to forget it after (Heidegger, 1966).

Everything around us is easily disposable, but how does this disposability of things

initiated man’s flight from thinking-- his being thoughtless.

The real essence of technology, both primordial and modern, when one takes the

effort to contemplate on its existence, is that it is a way of revealing (Heidegger, 1977).

However, the difference lies in the revealing that rules in each type of technology. In

primordial technology, the revealing is connected with poiesis, a revealing that brings forth

(Heidegger, 1977). Whereas the revealing that rules in modern technology is one that

challenges forth-- challenges man to order the objects around him by way of the standing-

reserve-- ready for something (Heidegger, 1977). Modern technology imposes demands

on nature such that nature is a power source, a resource center to fulfill man’s needs

(Heidegger, 1977). Heidegger takes the example of the hydroelectric power from the

Rhine river and the primitive land agriculture to distinguish the two types of technology.

The Rhine river is dammed up into a power plant, and the river is now a source of power

instead of being a river in its pure essence as a river (Heidegger, 1977). Whereas in the

primitive agricultural process, the worker does not challenge the soil of the field and he

even allows the forces of growth to watch over the seed he sowed (Heidegger, 1977).

Modern technology extracts nature and squeezes out in her all that she has. Nature is

calculable and predictable in the eyes of modern technology as man is pushed to order

things by way of the standing-reserve, or as use-objects in stock for some future purpose.
It is calculative thinking that rules in the era of modern technology as it gives quick

measurable results necessary to efficiently manipulate and handle objects as being

standing-reserves.

The environmental and humanitarian crises highlight an incoherence brought

about by modern technology and calculative thinking. Both promise quick certain

predictable results yet these are only for the mere short term. Slowly and unknowingly,

man is spiraling towards a great incoherence in his relating to the world and his very

being. The rise in global temperatures come as a result of dumping carbon gases in the

atmosphere wherein these gases are primary ingredients for the airconditioning system

whose purpose is to fight the heat. Quarries that destroy flora and fauna are a result of

seeing the earth as huge reserves of mineral resources that are needed to fulfill market

demands. The earth is subject to man, and man is subject to modern technology. Man, in

his attempt to find solutions through modern technology, has fallen into a deeper problem.

There are many other environmental issues that can be attributed to modern technology

such as climate change, melting of polar caps, extinction of endangered species,

disruption of animal migratory patterns, water pollution, air pollution, land pollution, etc.

all of which are a result of man’s forgetting his relating to the world.

It is indeed with the over valorization of calculative thinking that Heidegger argues

about man being in a flight from thinking, being though-poor-- thoughtless. He says “For

nowadays we take in everything in the quickest and cheapest way, only to forget it just

as quickly, instantly (Heidegger, 1966).” And is this not what is happening with the

environment? That after it has served its purpose, man can easily forget and move on to

the next fresh soil without rehabilitating the previous one? Man forgets, but how does this
happen? Is not calculative thinking a thinking that plans, and organizes therefore all things

should be in order? Is it not calculative thinking that has revolutionized science and

rocketed its expansion?

Unlike meditative thinking, calculative thinking does not think and contemplate on

the deeper meaning of objects as they are (Heidegger, 1966). Despite this thinking being

rational, measurable, and predictable, it is this thinking that lead man in a new view of

relating with the world. For the modern calculative man, the world is at his will. Heidegger

says “The world now appears as an object open to the attacks of calculative thought,

attacks that nothing is believed able any longer to resist. Nature becomes a gigantic

gasoline station, an energy source for modern technology and industry (Heidegger,

1966).” This mentality, this modern relationship with the world is what brought about the

demise and destruction of the coexisting inhabitants of this planet. What is man now that

he has destroyed his place of dwelling?

Modern Technology has pushed man’s forgetfulness of being. The question of

being today has become far more ambiguous today than it was before, and now the task

of retrieving such question and contemplating on the very nature of what we are has even

gained greater gravity. What beings are we to have destroyed and forgotten our only

place of dwelling? Our being toward the world is essentially taking care (Heidegger,

1953). The existential understanding of our being is care, and that our being-in-the-world

is about dwelling, and yet man has forgotten all this (Heidegger, 1953). Modern

technology has pushed further this forgottenness with the deceitful empty promise that

calculative thinking brings.

 It is now man’s imperative to seek a balance through meditative thinking, and

retrieve all that he has forgotten. Man cannot easily let go of his calculative ways. What

is needed is a balance where man can affirm the need for modern technology yet still

being able to say “no” to it-- a wonderfully simple and relaxed relation to technology

(Heidegger, 1966). Heidegger calls this Gelassenheit, a releasement toward things

(Heidegger, 1966). To achieve such relation man needs to contemplate on the essence

of modern technology, and how he is to relate with such. Modern technology has pushed

man to throw away his meditative nature-- his being. There is a forgetfulness of being

brought about in the rise of modern technology, and the task at hand now therefore is to

retrieve what is forgotten by keeping alive meditative thinking-- saving man’s nature

(Heidegger, 1966).

Heidegger, Martin. "Being-in-the-World in General as the Fundamental Constitution of

Da-sein." In Being and Time, translated by Joan Stambaugh, 49-58. New York, New York:

State University of New York Press, 1953.

Heidegger, Martin. "The Memorial Address." In Discourse on Thinking, translated

by John Anderson and E. Hans Freund, 43-57. New York, New York: Harper & Row,

Publishers, 1966.

Heidegger, Martin. "The Question Concerning Technology." In The Question

Concerning Technology and Other Essays, translated by William Lovitt, 3-35. New York,

New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1977.