Let Things Speak: Don Ihde’s Thought and Philosophy of Technology in China

Abstract

Don Ihde or 唐·伊德 (Tánɡ Yīdé) is well known to Chinese scholars, especially those concerned with philosophy of technology, because of his development of postphenomenology and his emphasis on technologies’ embodiment of science and culture. Chinese engagement with Ihde has also been facilitated by his three extended trips to the country. This review of the papers and books written by Chinese scholars on his work shows the importance of his ideas in Chinese philosophy of technology. Ihde has encouraged Chinese scholars to think about the theoretical aspect of technology, over and above its practical economic objectives; to consider human-technology relations more carefully; and to develop a balance between constructivist and deterministic perspectives. More critical veins of recent scholarship have led to additional insights on the “human” (or “I”) in human-technology relations, the differences between directly perceived and instrumentally mediated experiences, and his conceptualization of material hermeneutics. The review of Chinese scholarship is supplemented by extensive references to Ihde’s work and that of other thinkers in the Western tradition. Thinking through this research raises three other questions: Is there a Chinese Don Ihde? To what extent does Chinese philosophy of technology correspond with Ihde’s ideas? And what are the avenues through which Chinese scholars can open dialogues with them?