The Nature of Technology in Heidegger s Philosophy

Heidegger is one of the earliest thinkers who, in technology, studied the existential status of technology, its dominant gist, and its relation to the modern science and art. This articles aims to show a more precise image of Heidegger 's "nature of technology " and present a more proper assessment on the pessimistic or optimistic quality of his philosophy of technology. Heidegger believes that the "nature of technology " is not technical in any way. He passes over the instrumental meaning of technology and seeks an understanding of the "nature of technology " through Greek culture. Therefore, it introduces the concept of technology on the basis of a special interpretation of causality that is based on aletheia. Upon this basis, the modern technology is aletheia, but not the best and the most original aletheia of existence, because it aims to change the universe, rather than to elucidate, interpret and define it.Though the"nature of technology " cannot be meaningful without reference to man and his relation to the universe, such an aletheia dominates human being and controls him. The solution for human is to have a free relation to technology. This understanding of the nature of technology proves that Heidegger is not against technology, but he argues that it should not cause our negligence.