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NewMediaandthefallofthePolishPeople’sRepublic
usuallyhasagloomyandpessimisticdimension,despiteoriginatingfromroman-
ticresistanceagainstindustrialisationandits“darkinfernalmills.”Inthetwenti-
ethcenturyitwassupportedbythephilosophyofMartinHeidegger,whoinhis
essayTheQuestionConcerningTechnologydescribesthewaysthattechnicalthink-
ingalectshowmodernpeopleapproachtheworld,howitbecomesthemain
waytodiscoverit,andhowitchangestheworldintoatechnologicalresource.
“Atractoflandischallengedtoputingoutcoalandore.Teearthnowreveals
itselfasacoalminingdistrict,thesoilasamineraldeposit.”9
Technopessimism,foundedonthenineteenth-centuryfearoftheperil
thatmachinesandtheirefciencyposedtohumankind,togetherwithade-
terministicworldview,isnotonlyimportantasaninfluentialphilosophical
stance.Ithasalsopervadedpopularcultureandbecomeafoundationof,for
instance,“science-fiction.”RogerCailloisaddressesthis:“ascience-fictionnov-
elreflectstheanxietyofourera,whichisterrifiedattheverythoughtofthe
progressoftechnologytheory,andwhichisnolongerprotectedbyscience
againsttheUnthinkable.Quitethecontrary,ititselfhasstartedtopullman-
kindintotheabyss.Itisbecausesciencenolongermeansclarityandsafety-it
hasbecomeadisturbingmystery.”10Eventhoughthisbookisprimarilymeant
topresentviewsontheroleoftechnologyinourcontemporaryworld,Imen-
tiontheabovebecauseideashaveconsequences.Ideas-embodiedasthey
areineachsituation-playedanimportantroleintheprocessesofinnovation
anditsspread,describedinthisbook.Forthisreason,onemorethinkerde-
servesouratention.Heismuchlesswell-knownandinfluentialthanMartin
Heideggerandmentionedmuchlessofeninthecontextofphilosophyoftech-
nology,especiallyinEnglishliterature.Eventhoughthebeliefinthesubstan-
tialnatureoftechnologyisofenpessimisticinform,withitsvisionofman-
kindenslavedbydark,antihumanforces,PierreTeilharddeChardinwrites
inhisworksaboutaverydilerentworld.Asanevolutionist,deChardinper-
ceivestheprogressoftechnologyasaconsequenceofageneralprocesswhich
leadsfrominorganicmater,toanimals,tohumans,tothecreationofacollec-
tiveawarenessinthe“noosphere.”Tisprocessisnotsubjecttohumanwill;
itisprogrammedintotheworldbyGod,andinthissensedeChardinisasub-
stantivist.TeevolutionofmankindprogressestopointOmega,wheremater
becomespurelyspiritual,divine.Tisprogressis,then,notonlyindependent
fromhumansbutalsoleadingtotheultimategood.AccordingtodeChardin,
theprogressoftechnology-asapartofthislargerprocess-isanelement
ofagreaterschemewhichshouldnotbeopposed:“forMankindasawhole,
9MartinHeidegger,TeQuestionConcerningTechnologyAndOtherEssays,trans.
WilliamLovit(NewYork:GarlandPublishing,1977),14.
10RogerCaillois,Obliques(Paris:Gallimard,1987),46.
