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Technical Artefacts: Creations of Mind and Matter

A Philosophy of Engineering Design

  • Book
  • © 2012

Overview

Authors:
  1. Peter Kroes

    1. , Department of Philosophy, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands

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  • Comprehensive overview of the dual nature of technical artifacts
  • Opens up the black box of the design and making of technology
  • Combines a theory of technical functions with a theory of technical artefact kinds
  • Clear discussion of the philosophical problems of the design of technical artefacts

Part of the book series: Philosophy of Engineering and Technology (POET, volume 6)

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-x
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  2. Introduction

    • Peter Kroes
    Pages 1-11

  3. Technical artefacts

    • Peter Kroes
    Pages 13-45

  4. Theories of technical functions

    • Peter Kroes
    Pages 47-88

  5. Proper functions and technical artefact kinds

    • Peter Kroes
    Pages 89-125

  6. Engineering design

    • Peter Kroes
    Pages 127-161

  7. The moral significance of technical artefacts

    • Peter Kroes
    Pages 163-194

  8. Epilogue

    • Peter Kroes
    Pages 195-201

  9. Back Matter

    Pages 203-205
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Keywords

About this book

This book presents an attempt to understand the nature of technical artefacts and the way they come into being. Its primary focus is the kind of technical artefacts designed and produced by modern engineering. In spite of their pervasive influence on human thinking and doing, and therefore on the modern human condition, a philosophical analysis of technical artefacts and engineering design is lacking. Among the questions addressed are: How do technical artefacts fit into the furniture of the universe? In what sense are they different from objects from the natural world, or from the social world? What kind of activity is engineering design and what does it mean to say that technical artefacts are the embodiment of a design? Does it make sense to consider technical artefacts to be morally good or bad by themselves because of the way they influence human life?

The book advances the thesis that technical artefacts, conceived of as physical constructions with a technical function, have a dual nature; they are hybrid objects combining physical and intentional features. It proposes a theory of technical functions and technical artefact kinds that does justice to this dual nature, analyses engineering design from the dual nature point of view, and argues that technical artefacts, because of their dual nature, have inherent moral significance.

Authors and Affiliations

  • , Department of Philosophy, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands

    Peter Kroes

About the author

Peter Kroes is professor in the Philosophy of Technology at the Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. He has an engineering degree in physics (1974) and wrote a PhD thesis on the notion of time in physical theories (University of Nijmegen, 1982). He has been teaching courses in the philosophy of science and technology and the ethics of technology, mainly for engineering students. His research in the philosophy of technology focuses on  the nature of technical artifacts and engineering design, the modeling of socio-technical systems and the nature of technological knowledge. His book publications include: A philosophy of technology; from technical artefacts to socio-technical systems (together with Pieter Vermaas, Ibo van de Poel, Maarten Franssen and Wybo Houkes, Morgan and Claypool, 2011), Functions in biological and artificial worlds; comparative philosophical perspectives (editor with Ulrich Krohs, MIT Press, 2009) and The empirical turn in the philosophy of technology  (editor with Anthony Meijers, JAI/Elsevier Science, 2000). He also edited the part on the Philosophy of Engineering Design of the Handbook of Philosophy of Technology and Engineering Sciences (editor. Anthonie Meijers, Elsevier, 2009). Further information may be found on his website: http://tbm.tudelft.nl/index.php?id=32462&L=0.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Technical Artefacts: Creations of Mind and Matter

  • Book Subtitle: A Philosophy of Engineering Design

  • Authors: Peter Kroes

  • Series Title: Philosophy of Engineering and Technology

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3940-6

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, Philosophy and Religion (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature B.V. 2012

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-94-007-3939-0Published: 25 May 2012

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-94-017-8509-9Published: 11 June 2014

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-007-3940-6Published: 24 May 2012

  • Series ISSN: 1879-7202

  • Series E-ISSN: 1879-7210

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: X, 206

  • Topics: Philosophy of Technology, Engineering Design

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