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Techno-Racism: Heidegger's Philosophy of Technology and Critical Philosophies of Race James Michael Taylor

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Techno-Racism: Heidegger's Philosophy of Technology and Critical Philosophies of Race James Michael Taylor Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Fall 1-1-2016 Techno-Racism: Heidegger's Philosophy of Technology and Critical Philosophies of Race James Michael Taylor Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Taylor, J. (2016). Techno-Racism: Heidegger's Philosophy of Technology and Critical Philosophies of Race (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/63 This Worldwide Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TECHNO-RACISM: HEIDEGGER'S PHILOSOPHY OF TECHNOLOGY AND CRITICAL PHILOSOPHIES OF RACE A Dissertation Submitted to the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By James Taylor December 2016 Copyright by James Taylor 2016 TECHNO-RACISM: HEIDEGGER'S PHILOSOPHY OF TECHNOLOGY AND CRITICAL PHILOSOPHIES OF RACE By James Taylor Approved November 14, 2016 ________________________________ ________________________________ George Yancy, Ph.D. Fred Evans, Ph.D. Professor of Philosophy Professor of Philosophy (Committee Chair) (Committee Member) ________________________________ ________________________________ Richard Rojcewicz, Ph.D. Thérèse Bonin, Ph. D Scholar in Residence Acting Chair, Philosophy Department (Committee Member) Associate Professor of Philosophy ________________________________ James Swindal, Ph. D., Dean, McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Professor of Philosophy iii ABSTRACT TECHNO-RACISM: HEIDEGGER'S PHILOSOPHY OF TECHNOLOGY AND CRITICAL PHILOSOPHIES OF RACE By James Taylor December 2016 Dissertation supervised by George Yancy Racism continues to be a pressing problem in Western Society. In some ways it even makes a great deal of sense to think about racism as a tool of political power. My dissertation explores the way in which racism is informed by the underlying social structure of whiteness, and the way that modern technology is informed by the underlying structure of the enframing. I draw on the works of George Yancy, and Cornel West to demonstrate that the everyday problems we face in racism are informed and guided by the systemic problem of whiteness. I then use the work of Martin Heidegger to demonstrate that the everyday problems that exist in modern technology are informed and guided by the systemic problem of enframing. By further demonstrating that the language of sin, as it is used in the works of Augustine, can be applied to both whiteness and enframing I show that these systems are manifestations of an underlying cultural attitude, technoracism. The original work in my dissertation involves defining the iv concept of cultural attitude and demonstrating that cultural attitudes present a dominating force in how western society has thought, lived, and worked throughout history. I then argue that our current attitude is that of technoracism, and I locate technoracism at the advent of historical modernity. Technoracism can be understood as a vice that is instantiated in the historical moments of Christian Supremacy, the drive for precise scientific categories, and the emphasis on individualism. These moments arise out of the pre-rational characteristics of violent exclusivity, precise particularity, and absolute subjectivism. I ultimately conclude that an ethical resolution to technoracism is necessary. To that end I work out a virtue ethics based on the ideal of humanity as multiplicitous and lay out the virtues of religious diversity, aesthetic mystery, and community to counter the vices of technoracism. Finally, I end my dissertation by explaining how these virtues can be brought about through the practices of detachment, tarrying, vigilance, and dialogue. v DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my partner in all things Brigid, to our son Matthew, and to Della Rymer. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iv Dedication .......................................................................................................................... vi Introduction .............................................................................................................. viii-xxix Chapter 1 – Genealogy of Race ..................................................................................... 1-25 Chapter 2 – Whiteness ................................................................................................. 26-50 Chapter 3 – The Technology of Race .......................................................................... 51-68 Chapter 4 – Heidegger and the Danger of Technology ............................................. 69-101 Chapter 5 – Sin and Ethics ....................................................................................... 102-128 Chapter 6 – Technoracism ....................................................................................... 129-158 Chapter 7 – The Virtue Ethics of Multiplicity ......................................................... 159-192 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 193-201 Notes ........................................................................................................................ 202-212 Bibliography ............................................................................................................ 213-216 vii Introduction Perhaps one of the most difficult parts of any project is the beginning. Indeed, one of the problems facing this dissertation is precisely how to form the beginning of the project, especially since this project appears to be such a massive undertaking. This dissertation will cover no less than race and racism, technology and the dangers of technological advancement, and the underlying attitude which links these two spheres. Of course it cannot be taken as a given that race and technology are related or even that they present any special problems. And while history and our contemporary moment speak to us of the problems that both have wrought, as philosophers, we must show this to be so. Both topics are clearly significant topics for philosophical analysis and discussion. Race has to do with one of the most basic ways in which human beings have been categorized. To understand the concept of race is to understand its logic, the ideas that justify race categories, and the social implications that are entailed. Therefore, race is an issue that also deals with ontology, epistemology, and ultimately ethics. Likewise, technology raises significant philosophical questions about how human beings relate to their world, how they make use of that world and what this means for their understanding of that world. Thus, technology raises issues that also deal with ontology, epistemology and ultimately ethics. It is not enough to see these spheres as mere issues for philosophical curiosity. The questions that one poses, and the deeper issues that arise, when discussing race and technology are profoundly important because both issues raise deep ethical concerns. To demonstrate the ethical nature of race, one needs look no further than a brief study of the history of the past several hundred years. Even in our contemporary moment, race, and questions of race, continues to raise moral dilemmas and problems in society. On the other hand, technology is not always so viii clearly value laden. This might be because the ethical problems it does raise are dismissed as secondary issues, or the result of ethical failures in some other sphere. Technology is supposed to be morally neutral, since it is supposed to consist of nothing more than the manipulation or use of human tools and the goals to which humans direct such tools. If technology raises any ethical concerns, then those concerns should be related to the goals that humans have in using technology or in the improper use of technology. Of course we could say the exact same thing about the issue of race. It can be claimed that there is nothing intrinsically ethically problematic about identifying or categorizing human beings according to racial types. Rather, the only problem that arises is when such types are mishandled or else made to serve some nefarious purposes. Indeed, the ethical concerns regarding technology and race seem all-too-reasonable. For example, consider how racial classification works. If I identify someone correctly as being of Asian descent and more specifically as originating from the island regions of Japan, then I have simply made an obvious scientific observation. In short, if I claim that they are of the Asian race then I have not yet done anything wrong or even problematic, so long as my claim remains factual. Epistemological error, not ethical concerns, seems to arise only if I then draw conclusions about this person based on their race, and then the error only exists if said conclusions are the wrong ones. If I were to erroneously declare that an Asian person of Japanese descent will be a skilled harmonica player, then the mistake is that I assume that one's race has to do with one's musical talents. So long as I only draw the correct scientific conclusions
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