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Bernard Stiegler on a Unified Vision of Humanity And BERNARD STIEGLER ON A UNIFIED VISION OF HUMANITY AND TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION: AN ANALYSIS OF HUMAN/TECHNICAL IDEOLOGY IN THE WRITINGS OF TODAY’S MOST INFLUENTIAL EDUCATIONAL LEADERS Dissertation Submitted to The School of Education and Health Sciences of the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership By Russell Alan Thomas, MA, MCSE, MCT UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON Dayton, Ohio May 2019 BERNARD STIEGLER ON A UNIFIED VISION OF HUMANITY AND TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION: AN ANALYSIS OF HUMAN/TECHNICAL IDEOLOGY IN THE WRITINGS OF TODAY’S MOST INFLUENTIAL EDUCATIONAL LEADERS Name: Thomas, Russell Alan APPROVED BY: ________________________________________________ Thomas M. Falk, Ph.D. Committee Chair ________________________________________________ Charles J. Russo, J.D. Ed.D. Faculty Advisor ________________________________________________ John White, Ph.D. Faculty Advisor ________________________________________________ Andrew Slade, Ph.D. Faculty Advisor ________________________________________________ Kevin R. Kelly, Ph.D. Dean, School of Education and Health Sciences ii © Copyright by Russell Alan Thomas All rights reserved 2019 iii ABSTRACT BERNARD STIEGLER ON A UNIFIED VISION OF HUMANITY AND TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION: AN ANALYSIS OF HUMAN/TECHNICAL IDEOLOGY IN THE WRITINGS OF TODAY’S MOST INFLUENTIAL EDUCATIONAL LEADERS Name: Thomas, Russell Alan University of Dayton Advisor: Thomas M. Falk, Ph.D. This study explores the meaning, effect, and prevalence of two contrasting ideological perspectives about technology: Technological Determinism and the unified/humanizing view of technology espoused by French philosopher, Bernard Stiegler. The study addresses the long-held concerns that so many have had about the problematic effects of Technological Determinism on educational policy and practice and explains how the embrace of Stiegler’s view of technology serves as a remedy. The study examines the ways in which Technological Determinism manifests in discourse and the presence of its underlying characteristics in the writings of today’s most influential educational leaders. The study’s findings give credence to the concerns of the normalization of deterministic ideology in educational discourse; that, irrespective of a scholar’s bias for or against, and integrated or dis-integrated view of technology, a characteristic foundational to deterministic thinking; namely, the granting of agency, is present. iv I dedicate this to my wife. without whom, I am nothing … v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It was often hard to like Dr. Watras. It was, however, very easy, to respect him. I found myself thinking of him as my Academic Drill Instructor. After graduating Marine Corps boot camp, I did not much like them either. Yet, just as with them, Dr. Watras molded me and lifted me up. He was my Socrates and I his honored peripatetic. Only he can truly know how much he means to me. I hope that my efforts here make him proud. After the passing of Dr. Watras, I thought I would never pass beyond Candidacy. Dr. Falk showed his willingness to step in at a grim time to make my dream of achieving a doctoral degree, a reality. I am deeply in his debt. vi PREFACE On first encountering the works of Bernard Stiegler, three things immediately come to mind. The first is the depth and breadth of Stiegler’s knowledge that covers a wide range of subject areas including history, philosophy, technology, geo-politics, commerce, and education. The second thing found in Stiegler’s works is an obvious anxiety about today’s individual and society as they endeavor to deal with a continual increase in technical knowledge and technological innovation. Third, and equally as evident, is a sincere and forceful acknowledgement that all hope is not lost, and that there is something that we, as educators, should be doing to address the concerns he poses. Stiegler’s ideas have been influenced heavily by his reading of the Discourses of Epictetus, wherein he writes, “Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things” (135 A.C.E., § 5). It is from this understanding that Stiegler points us to the ‘principles and notions which we as educational leaders form concerning technology.’ vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... vi PREFACE ......................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... xi LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ xii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 The Problem of Technological Determinism .......................................................... 2 A Brief Introduction to Bernard Stiegler ................................................................ 6 Research Problem and Its Importance .................................................................. 12 Purpose of this Study ............................................................................................ 14 Research Questions ............................................................................................... 14 Justification for the Research ................................................................................ 15 Scope and Limitations of this Study ..................................................................... 16 Definitions of Key Terms ..................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELEVANT RESEARCH AND LITERATURE ............... 22 The Effects of Technological Determinism .......................................................... 23 The Displacement of Technical Knowledge ............................................. 24 Ambiguity, Reification, and Agency ........................................................ 28 Adaptation and Poor Transformation ........................................................ 30 The Broader Societal Implications............................................................ 32 viii Stiegler’s Unified View of Technology ................................................................ 35 Humanity’s Bio-Technical Nature ............................................................ 41 Dividing the Human from the Technical .................................................. 49 CHAPTER III STUDY METHODS AND PROCEDURES ........................................... 53 Population and Data Collection ............................................................................ 54 Directed Content Analysis .................................................................................... 57 Examining ‘Latent’ Ideologies ............................................................................. 60 Critical and Humanizing Framework.................................................................... 62 CHAPTER IV FINDINGS, RESEARCH, AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................... 66 An Analysis of Scholars’ Writings ....................................................................... 67 Darling-Hammond’s Pro-Technology, Integrated View of Technology .. 67 Gardner’s Pro-Technology, Integrated View of Technology ................... 68 Duckworth’s Anti-Technology, Dis-Integrated View of Technology ...... 70 Ladson-Billings’ Pro-Technology, Integrated View of Technology ........ 71 Ravitch’s Anti-Technology, Dis-Integrated View of Technology ........... 72 Cuban’s Pro-Technology, Integrated View of Technology ...................... 75 Goldrick-Rab’s Pro-Technology, Integrated View of Technology .......... 78 Gasman’s Pro-Technology, Integrated View of Technology ................... 80 Ann Tomlinson’s Pro-Technology, Integrated View of Technology ....... 81 Boaler’s Pro-Technology, Integrated View of Technology ...................... 83 A Consideration of Findings ................................................................................. 85 Recommendations for Future Study ..................................................................... 85 ix CHAPTER V CONCLUSION .......................................................................................... 87 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 94 APPENDIX A - The Works of Bernard Stiegler in Translation ..................................... 118 APPENDIX B - Ars Industrialis Manifesto 2010 ........................................................... 122 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Variables Determining the Rate of Adoption of Innovations.............................17 Figure 2. The Cycle of Dis-Integration..............................................................................24 Figure 3. The Changing Relationship Between Humanity and Technology.....................38 xi LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Top 10 2018 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings...........................55 xii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The normative status of technology
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