Michel Serres and the philosophy of technology

Barker, T. (2023) Michel Serres and the philosophy of technology. Theory, Culture and Society, (doi: 10.1177/02632764221140825) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

This article explores the topic of technology in Michel Serres’ work. Although a great deal has been said about Serres’ treatment of parasitic relations, noise, interdisciplinarity and communication, little has been written about his approach to questions of technology. The author first outlines general trends in the philosophy of technology and indicates how Serres fits within the field. He then suggests a way to read Serres by identifying ‘landmarks’ in his texts, which are used for explicating his position on technology. Three of these landmarks are explored. The first is Serres’ philosophy of world-objects, which moves him to think through the relationship between humans, technology and natural evolution. The second is Serres’ notion of technologies ‘setting sail’ from the body, which allows him to build on Leroi-Gourhan’s work, and the third is Serres’ description of information technologies and the world of millennials, which leads to his position on pedagogy and technology. From an examination of these three landmarks, a picture emerges of a thinker for whom technology acts as a disturbance around which collectives form, establishing relations and deviations between ourselves and others.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Barker, Professor Timothy
• Authors: Barker, T.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Theatre Film and TV Studies
• Journal Name: Theory, Culture and Society
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• ISSN: 0263-2764
• ISSN (Online): 1460-3616
• Published Online: 21 January 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © The Author(s) 2023
• First Published: First published in Theory, Culture and Society 2023
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license