Philosophy of the Internet A Discourse on the Nature of the Internet László Ropolyi XML to PDF by RenderX XEP XSL-FO F ormatter, visit us at http://www.renderx.com/ Philosophy of the Internet: A Discourse on the Nature of the Internet László Ropolyi editor: László Ropolyi translated by: Zoltán Wágner lector: Hywel Griffiths Copyright © 2013 Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem This book based on a translation of the Hungarian volume „Az Internet természete. Internetfilozófiai értekezés”, published by Typotex, Budapest, 2006. It is free to use for research and education. A written permission of the copyright holders is needed for making any kinds of copies of the text. Made in the project entitled "E-learning scientific content development in ELTE TTK" with number TÁMOP-4.1.2.A/1-11/1-2011-0073. Consortium leader: Eötvös Loránd University, Consortium Members: ELTE Faculties of Science Student Foundation, ITStudy Hungary Ltd. XML to PDF by RenderX XEP XSL-FO F ormatter, visit us at http://www.renderx.com/ Dedication This convict-age can subjugate youse but you become free if not to build inside a house in which a landlord settles down —(A fragment of the poem „Consciousness” by Attila József) i XML to PDF by RenderX XEP XSL-FO F ormatter, visit us at http://www.renderx.com/ Table of Contents Theses about the reformation of knowledge ........................................................................................ iv Introduction ................................................................................................................................. ix 1. The appearance of the Internet in the late modern age ........................................................................ 1 2. Late modern technology ............................................................................................................... 7 2.1 The nature of technology .................................................................................................... 7 2.1.1 Tool use and tool making ......................................................................................... 8 2.1.2 Techné and technology ............................................................................................ 9 2.1.3 Science and technology .......................................................................................... 10 2.1.4 Man and technology .............................................................................................. 13 2.1.5 Machines and technology ....................................................................................... 15 2.1.6 Technology and society: the autonomy of technology and its value content ...................... 17 2.1.7 Technological optimism, pessimism and realism ......................................................... 19 2.1.8 Philosophy and technology or the philosophy of technology .......................................... 21 2.2 The nature of information technologies ................................................................................ 21 2.2.1 The technology of producing information .................................................................. 22 2.2.2 Information technologies and postmodern technologies ................................................ 24 2.2.3 Open technological situations in cyberspace ............................................................... 27 2.3 Virtuality and reality ........................................................................................................ 28 2.3.1 Premodern virtuality .............................................................................................. 30 2.3.2 Modern virtuality .................................................................................................. 32 2.3.3 Postmodern virtuality ............................................................................................ 33 2.4 Virtual reality ................................................................................................................. 33 2.4.1 Presence and virtuality ........................................................................................... 34 2.4.2 Worldliness and virtuality ....................................................................................... 35 2.4.3 Virtuality, openness and plurality ............................................................................. 36 2.4.4 Aspects of virtual reality ........................................................................................ 37 3. Communication in the late modern age .......................................................................................... 39 3.1 The nature of communication ............................................................................................ 39 3.1.1 Communication and community .............................................................................. 40 3.1.2 Communication and language ................................................................................. 42 3.1.3 Communication situations ...................................................................................... 46 3.1.4 The autonomy and value content of communication ..................................................... 48 3.1.5 Communication and information technology .............................................................. 50 3.2 Communication media and technologies .............................................................................. 51 3.2.1 Orality and literacy ................................................................................................ 52 3.2.2 Books and reading ................................................................................................ 55 3.2.3 Images in communication ....................................................................................... 59 3.2.4 Private sphere, public sphere and mass communication ................................................ 67 3.2.5 The medium is the message .................................................................................... 70 3.3 Information and communication machines ........................................................................... 72 3.3.1 Communication machines ....................................................................................... 74 3.3.2 Communication networks ....................................................................................... 76 3.3.3 The Internet as a communication network .................................................................. 80 3.3.4 Machines, communities and society .......................................................................... 85 3.3.5 World and community ............................................................................................ 87 3.4 The communication of knowledge ...................................................................................... 89 3.4.1 The technologies of communicating knowledge .......................................................... 90 3.4.2 The communities of knowledge ............................................................................... 91 3.4.3 Science and knowledge on the Internet ...................................................................... 92 4. The transformation of culture in late modernity ............................................................................... 94 4.1 The nature of culture ........................................................................................................ 95 4.1.1 Culture and human nature ....................................................................................... 96 4.1.2 Culture and community ........................................................................................ 100 4.1.3 Culture and society .............................................................................................. 101 4.1.4 The autonomy and value content of culture .............................................................. 104 ii XML to PDF by RenderX XEP XSL-FO F ormatter, visit us at http://www.renderx.com/ Philosophy of the Internet 4.2 Modern and postmodern culture ....................................................................................... 105 4.2.1 The modern and the postmodern in culture ............................................................... 106 4.2.2 Crisis development and the postmodern condition ..................................................... 109 4.2.3 The crisis and reformation of modern knowledge ...................................................... 110 4.3 Late modernity and cyberculture ....................................................................................... 111 4.3.1 Culture and cyberculture ....................................................................................... 112 4.3.2 Culture on the Internet .......................................................................................... 113 5. Late modern organisms ............................................................................................................. 115 5.1 The nature of the organism .............................................................................................. 116 5.1.1 Identity, integrity and reproduction ......................................................................... 117 5.1.2 Systems, networks and the world ............................................................................ 119 5.1.3 The autonomy and value content of organisms .........................................................