Towards an Integrated Framework in the Philosophy of Technology: Integrating Philosophical Reflection on Technology in General and Concrete Technologies

In the 1990s, various philosophers of technology shifted their focus from reflections on technology in general (Technology) to reflections on concrete technologies (technologies) and consequently lost sight of overarching issues such as climate change. However, proponents of the shift to concrete technologies rightly argue that concrete technologies need to be taken into account, as, for example, not all concrete technologies have the same climate impact. This argument raises the question of whether both approaches can be integrated to enable research on overarching issues without losing empirical grounding. In order to propose a framework that integrates both approaches, we will first elaborate on the proponents of both approaches. Subsequently, we will use the case of time measurement to explore how the approaches can complement each other. Based on this exploration, we will propose a framework on how to relate philosophical theories on technology in general and concrete technologies in an integrated way.