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Problem-Solving Technologies

A User-Friendly Philosophy
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In our everyday activities we use material objects in different shapes and forms to solve various practical problems. We may use a knife to tighten a screw, turn an old washing machine drum into a fireplace, use the edge of a kitchen countertop to open a bottle, or place a hammer on the puncture patch glued to a bike's inner tube to exert pressure on the patch until the glue dries. How should we identify these objects? What functions do they have? If we want to understand the role which material objects play in our everyday activities, we need to move away from universal identifications of objects. This is because universal identifications are not sensitive to contextual differences and cannot describe how each individual user connects to their surrounding objects in an infinite variety of contexts. Problem Solving Technologies provides a user-friendly understanding of technological objects. This book develops a framework to characterise and categorize technological objects at the level of users' subjective experiences.
Sadjad Soltanzadeh is a researcher at the Asser Institute, University of Amsterdam.
Introduction Part I: The General Categorisation of Technology Artificial Categorisations A User-Friendly Metaphysics Problem Solving Technologies The Conditions for the Possibility of Technologies Part II: The Particular Categorisation of Technologies A Taxonomy of Function Theories Conservative Functions vs. Authentic Functions A User-Friendly Theory of Function Part III: Ontology Existence of Artefacts Reality of Technologies Part IV: Activity Realism in Practice On the Reality of Scientific Entities The Human, the Technological, and the Limitations of Autonomous Systems Bibliography Index
As technology continues to dominate our lives in ever more invasive ways, it is imperative that we improve our understanding of it. Soltanzadeh's thought-provoking study is a further welcome and important step. His problem-solving account of technology is clearly and persuasively argued. It should prove valuable to researchers, students and anyone interested in the current direction of technological development. -- John Weckert, Professor of Computer Ethics, Charles Sturt University
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