Remarks on the technical mentality: the pedagogical intention and the emphasis on action in Gilbert Simondon’s philosophy of technics

Abstract

In his lifetime, Gilbert Simondon was known as a philosopher of technical objects. After 1989, interest in his metaphysical work grew, leading to a study of its ontogenetic, psychosocial and ethical-political implications. Yet these two takes are not exclusive: Simondon’s philosophy of technics is also an ethics and contains the seeds of a politics, which unfolds into proposals with pedagogical and formative import. This paper describes and examines Simondon’s ethical and pedagogical concerns through his concepts of “technicity”, “technical mentality”, “technology” and “encyclopedism”. The paper explores the question of how Simondon’s contributions can help to shed light over contemporary problems that have technical, pedagogical, ethical and political significance.

Keywords: Gilbert Simondon, technical mentality, encyclopedism, technology, Anthropocene.