Language and technology: maps, bridges, and pathways

This essay describes this gap, offers a preliminary discussion of how language and technology may be related to show that there is a rich conceptual space to be gained, and begins to explore some ways in which the gap could be bridged by starting from within specific philosophical subfields and traditions.

Abstract

Contemporary philosophy of technology after
\nthe empirical turn has surprisingly little to say on the
\nrelation between language and technology. This essay
\ndescribes this gap, offers a preliminary discussion of how
\nlanguage and technology may be related to show that there
\nis a rich conceptual space to be gained, and begins to
\nexplore some ways in which the gap could be bridged by
\nstarting from within specific philosophical subfields and
\ntraditions. One route starts from philosophy of language
\n(both ‘‘analytic’’ and ‘‘continental’’: Searle and Heidegger)
\nand discusses some potential implications for thinking
\nabout technology; another starts from artefact-oriented
\napproaches in philosophy of technology and STS and
\nshows that these approaches might helpfully be extended
\nby theorizing relationships between language and technological
\nartefacts. The essay concludes by suggesting a
\nresearch agenda, which invites more work on the relation
\nbetween language and technology.