Postphenomenological Methodologies: New Ways in Mediating Techno-Human Relationships (Postphenomenology and the Philosophy of Technology)

This edited volume is the first publication to tackle the issue of researching human-technology relations from a methodological postphenomenological perspective. While the ‘traditional’ phenomenology of the 20th century, with figures like Husserl, Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty, provided valuable insights into the formal structures of essence, being and embodiment, etc. their mode of philosophizing mostly involved abstract ‘pure’ thinking. Although rooted in this tradition, the postphenomenological approach to the study of human-technology relations emphasizes the “empirical turn” and interdisciplinary work in the field of philosophy – and reaches out to other disciplines like anthropology, education, media studies, and science and technology studies (STS). The contributors discuss what it means for the field of postphenomenology to be empirically based and what kind of methodology is required in order for researchers to go out and study human-technology relations in this perspective. In many disciplines, methodology refers to the analytical approach taken – e.g. the analytical concepts you employ to make an analysis; in postphenomenology, these might include concepts such as multistability, variation, or mediation. In a discipline like anthropology, it also refers to reflections over the methods researchers use to approach an empirical field. Methods can include interviews of different kinds, participant observations, surveys, and auto-ethnography. Furthermore, methodology can include ethical issues tied to doing research in an empirical field. These practical aspects are not separate from, but rather connected to, theoretical approaches. This book ties together the methods, ethics, and theories of postphenomenology in a groundbreaking volume on methodology. With postphenomenological studies of education, digital media, biohacking, health, robotics, and skateboarding as points of reference, the authors of this volume, in twelve chapters, provide new perspectives on what a comprehensive postphenomenological research methodology must consist of. Cover......Page 1 Postphenomenological Methodologies......Page 2 Postphenomenological Methodologies: New Ways in Mediating Techno-Human Relationships......Page 4 Copyright page......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Foreword......Page 8 An Introduction toPostphenomenological Methodologies......Page 12 Educational Technologies......Page 28 Introduction......Page 30 Postphenomenology and its Methods......Page 31 Toward a Postphenomenology of Practice......Page 38 Conclusion......Page 47 References......Page 48 Introduction......Page 54 Working Through and With Things: Media and Epistemic Objects......Page 55 Methodological Consequences......Page 64 References......Page 68 Entering the Portal......Page 72 The Wall-Window: Non-Reductive Attentional Split......Page 73 The Portal: Experiential Transportation......Page 74 Postphenomenological Methodology......Page 81 Conclusion: The Ethics of Attention......Page 84 References......Page 86 Self-Tracking and Imaging Technologies......Page 90 Introduction......Page 92 From Bodily Self-Understanding to Actions within the Network......Page 94 Context: Biohacking......Page 95 The Collapsed Metaphor......Page 97 The Maker Approach Postphenomenologically Understood......Page 103 Conclusion......Page 106 References......Page 107 Service Interfaces in Human-Technology Relations......Page 110 Services, Postphenomenology, and Self-Tracking Technologies......Page 112 Intersubjectivity in Human-Technology Relations......Page 116 Experiencing DirectLife’s Service Interfaces......Page 119 Conclusion......Page 124 References......Page 126 From Camera Obscura to fMRI......Page 130 Free Will Debates and Brain Imaging Technologies......Page 131 Brain Imaging Technologies as Functional Evidence?......Page 134 The Technically Mediated Self......Page 137 Recognizing the Mediating Role of Imaging Technologies and Reinterpreting “Free Will”......Page 143 References......Page 145 Robotic Technologies......Page 150 Introduction......Page 152 Old Questions and New Technologies: Material Hermeneutics of Paleoanthropological Research......Page 154 Old Dreams and Talking Tools: Social Robots Mediate the Stage......Page 159 Conclusion: Technical Mediation, Alterity, and Knowing......Page 168 Notes......Page 169 References......Page 171 Introduction......Page 178 Transfer of Technology......Page 179 Silbot—The Travelling Robot......Page 184 Beyond “Program 1”......Page 187 Toward a Postphenomenological Anthropology: Human Instability......Page 188 A World of . . . ?......Page 190 Closing Remarks......Page 191 Notes......Page 192 References......Page 193 General Methodological Issues......Page 196 Why It Takes Both Postphenomenology and STS to Account for Technological Mediation......Page 198 Postphenomenology......Page 201 STS Accounts of Technology......Page 204 On the Difference between the Notions of Interpretive Flexibility and Multistability......Page 207 Three Arguments for Amalgamation......Page 209 The Case of LOVE Park......Page 216 Conclusion......Page 221 Notes......Page 222 References......Page 223 Introduction......Page 226 The Empirical and Phenomenological Turn: Describing and Understanding Technological Mediation......Page 227 Ordinary Technological Mediation as an Ethical Issue......Page 231 Virtue Ethics and Technologies of the Self......Page 234 Technoethics of Ordinary Mediation: Three Principles to Start With......Page 238 References......Page 240 Introduction......Page 244 Philosophy of Technology......Page 245 Postphenomenology, Praxis, and the Empirical Turn......Page 246 Variation and Multistability......Page 249 Macro-perception and Culture......Page 252 Micro-perception and Embodiment......Page 253 Relational Ontology......Page 254 Mediation......Page 255 Material Hermeneutics......Page 256 Digital Hermeneutics as Material Hermeneutics......Page 259 References......Page 263 Introduction......Page 268 Classical Phenomenology......Page 271 Participant Observation......Page 273 Learning to Align......Page 277 Studying Variation in Mediation......Page 279 Studying Multistabilities......Page 281 Conclusion......Page 282 References......Page 283 Index......Page 286 List of Contributors......Page 292 Cover 1 Postphenomenological Methodologies 2 Postphenomenological Methodologies: New Ways in Mediating Techno-Human Relationships 4 Copyright page 5 Contents 6 Foreword 8 An Introduction toPostphenomenological Methodologies 12 Educational Technologies 28 Chapter 1 30 Doing Postphenomenology in Education 30 Introduction 30 Postphenomenology and its Methods 31 Toward a Postphenomenology of Practice 38 Conclusion 47 References 48 Chapter 2 54 Inviting and Interacting 54 Introduction 54 Working Through and With Things: Media and Epistemic Objects 55 Methodological Consequences 64 Notes 68 References 68 Chapter 3 72 Entering the Portal 72 The Wall-Window: Non-Reductive Attentional Split 73 The Portal: Experiential Transportation 74 Postphenomenological Methodology 81 Conclusion: The Ethics of Attention 84 References 86 Self-Tracking and Imaging Technologies 90 Chapter 4 92 Human-Technology Relationships in the Digital Age 92 Introduction 92 From Bodily Self-Understanding to Actions within the Network 94 Context: Biohacking 95 The Collapsed Metaphor 97 The Maker Approach Postphenomenologically Understood 103 Conclusion 106 Notes 107 References 107 Chapter 5 110 Service Interfaces in Human-Technology Relations 110 Services, Postphenomenology, and Self-Tracking Technologies 112 Intersubjectivity in Human-Technology Relations 116 Experiencing DirectLife’s Service Interfaces 119 Conclusion 124 Notes 126 References 126 Chapter 6 130 From Camera Obscura to fMRI 130 Free Will Debates and Brain Imaging Technologies 131 Brain Imaging Technologies as Functional Evidence? 134 The Technically Mediated Self 137 Recognizing the Mediating Role of Imaging Technologies and Reinterpreting “Free Will” 143 Note 145 References 145 Robotic Technologies 150 Chapter 7 152 Paleoanthropology and Social Robotics 152 Introduction 152 Old Questions and New Technologies: Material Hermeneutics of Paleoanthropological Research 154 Old Dreams and Talking Tools: Social Robots Mediate the Stage 159 Conclusion: Technical Mediation, Alterity, and Knowing 168 Notes 169 References 171 Chapter 8 178 Lost in Translation? 178 Introduction 178 Transfer of Technology 179 Silbot—The Travelling Robot 184 Beyond “Program 1” 187 Toward a Postphenomenological Anthropology: Human Instability 188 A World of . . . ? 190 Closing Remarks 191 Notes 192 References 193 General Methodological Issues 196 Chapter 9 198 Why It Takes Both Postphenomenology and STS to Account for Technological Mediation 198 Postphenomenology 201 STS Accounts of Technology 204 On the Difference between the Notions of Interpretive Flexibility and Multistability 207 Three Arguments for Amalgamation 209 The Case of LOVE Park 216 Conclusion 221 Notes 222 References 223 Chapter 10 226 Describing and Valuing Technological Mediation 226 Introduction 226 The Empirical and Phenomenological Turn: Describing and Understanding Technological Mediation 227 Ordinary Technological Mediation as an Ethical Issue 231 Virtue Ethics and Technologies of the Self 234 Technoethics of Ordinary Mediation: Three Principles to Start With 238 References 240 Chapter 11 244 Technological Mediation and Sociocultural Variability 244 Introduction 244 Philosophy of Technology 245 Postphenomenology, Praxis, and the Empirical Turn 246 Variation and Multistability 249 Macro-perception and Culture 252 Micro-perception and Embodiment 253 Relational Ontology 254 Mediation 255 Material Hermeneutics 256 Digital Hermeneutics as Material Hermeneutics 259 Note 263 References 263 Chapter 12 268 Studying the Telescopes of Others 268 Introduction 268 Classical Phenomenology 271 Participant Observation 273 Learning to Align 277 Studying Variation in Mediation 279 Studying Multistabilities 281 Conclusion 282 References 283 Index 286 List of Contributors 292 This volume contributes to postphenomenological research into human-technology relations with essays reflecting on methodological issues through empirical studies of education, digital media, biohacking, health, robotics, and skateboarding. This work provides new perspectives that call for a comprehensive postphenomenological research methodology. Edited By Jesper Aagaard, Jan Kyrre Berg Friis, Jessica Sorenson, Oliver Tafdrup, And Cathrine Hasse ; Foreword By Don Ihde. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.