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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Recurso digital |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Zenodo
2024
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13631456 |
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Table of Contents:
- <p>Postphenomenology is a philosophical discipline that investigates how technologies mediate human experiences. Doing so it ingerates theoretical and empirical insight. Particular emphasis is placed upon the so-called “instrumental realism,” i.e., the capabilities of technologies to process and visualize information humans cannot perceive. The prime example of this are the various types of telescopes used in astronomical research, including SETI. A postphenomenological analysis of the close interplay between scientific conduct and technological activity fosters an enhanced understanding of the role technology plays in SETI. It enables the search and– since we search for technosignatures – constitutes the object of desire. However, we must also note how it brings forward a psychological conception of how the extraterrestrial ought to be in order to be found by us. In addition, the capabilities of technology fuel various fantasies of technological maximization or minimization in relation to nature. I will argue that we can find these “technofantasies” not only on Earth but also as projections within the present and historical SETI discourse. The often-evoked technological superiority of extraterrestrials builds on the premise of continuous technological growth as a function of civilizational survival while also balancing the proposed risk of technological self-destruction. Hypothesized extraterrestrial technology reveals a phantasmatic hope for a specific pathway of human technological development. Concerning the latter, we cannot overestimate the profound impact of the products of our material engagement on our current condition and scientific production of knowledge. Still, we must face the fact that technology cannot only visualize what is hidden from us but also fuel our fantasies of what we are hoping to find.</p>