Andrew Feenberg

Andrew Feenberg is an American philosopher born in 1943, holding the Canada Research Chair in the Philosophy of Technology at Simon Fraser University. His academic work focuses on the philosophy of technology, continental philosophy, critique of technology, and science and technology studies. Feenberg's philosophy of technology is characterized by a positive, yet critical, outlook, contrasting with more dystopian views. He argues that technology and society mutually influence each other, and advocates for the democratic transformation of technology, stating that the design of technology is a decision with profound political consequences from which most people are excluded. He developed the Critical Theory of Technology, articulated in works like "The Critical Theory of Technology" and "Transforming Technology," based on a concept of dialectical technological rationality called instrumentalization theory. This theory integrates social critique with empirical studies from science and technology studies. Feenberg's concept of "democratic rationalization" challenges technological determinism by highlighting the social factors and choices involved in technological development and the potential for social reforms to guide technological evolution. He has also published on philosophers such as Herbert Marcuse, Martin Heidegger, and Karl Marx.