Gilbert Simondon - On The Mode Of Existence Of Technical Objects
Jul 2, 2024
auto_awesome
Cooper and Taylor discuss Gilbert Simondon's views on technical objects, challenging human-machine antagonism and exploring the evolution from abstract to concrete creations. They analyze concretization, efficiency in engine types, consumerism's impact on innovation, and human adaptability. The conversation delves into cybernetics, artificialization, and systemic problems in technical evolution and societal structures.
Technical objects evolve through concretization, showcasing interconnected parts in a systematic structure.
Simon Don explores the internalization of milieu within technical objects, pushing for a distinct technical culture.
Abandoned innovations in technical objects present unexplored creative potentials, challenging linear progress narratives.
Deep dives
Evolution of Technical Objects through Concretization
Simon Don examines the evolution of technical objects through concretization, where the parts resonate intricately within a system. He uses examples like the development of engines to illustrate this concept, highlighting the transition from more abstract mechanisms to systems with synergetic unity. This approach aims to address inadequacies in the technical objects by fulfilling multiple functions within a systematic structure.
Resonance Between Technical and Natural Objects
Simon Don seeks to establish a likeness between technical and natural objects in their growth processes, emphasizing an internalization of the milieu within technical objects. He cautions against equating technical objects with natural ones, advocating for a development of a technical culture that goes beyond dominance hierarchies between man and machine. By critiquing the fetishization of automatism, he aims to create a true theory of machines based on a regime of information.
Nonlinear Evolution in Technical Innovation
Simon Don explores the nonlinear evolution of technical objects and their potentiality, highlighting abandoned innovations as open virtualities waiting to be prolonged in another domain. He challenges the linear progress narrative by showcasing how certain ideas, though discarded historically, hold unexplored creative potential. This approach discourages deterministic teleologies and encourages innovative leaps in technical evolution.
The Evolution of Technical Objects
The podcast delves into the evolution of technical objects, critiquing cybernetics and its perspective on the similarity between living beings and self-regulating technical objects. The speaker emphasizes the differentiation between technical objects and living beings, highlighting the concept of artificialization beyond man-made fabrication. By discussing examples like the artificial cultivation of flowers and the management of weed strains, the podcast argues that artificiality goes beyond mere human creation.
The Role of Stability and Meta-Stability in Technical Development
Exploring the concept of stability and meta-stability in technical evolution, the podcast discusses the importance of a balance between stability and innovation in technical systems. The speaker suggests that technical objects possess a certain stability that allows for evolution while cautioning against the pitfalls of excessive stability that might hinder progress. By drawing parallels between technical evolution and societal norms, the podcast underscores the necessity of meta-stability in fostering innovation and reevaluation of norms within communities.
This week Cooper and Taylor tackle the introduction and chapter 1 of Gilbert Simondon’s On the Mode of Existence of Technical Objects. Chapter 1 Genesis of the technical object: the process of concretization.
PDF:
https://monoskop.org/images/2/20/Simondon_Gilbert_On_the_Mode_of_Existence_of_Technical_Objects_Part_I_alt.pdf
Support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/muhh
Twitter: @unconscioushh
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
