Which technique and to what end?
A study of a collection of 19 keywords has been published to help readers better understand the evolution of the economy and society
Technology and so progress, production, growth, development but also exploitation, alienation, control and much more. ‘Technique’ is certainly one of today’s buzzwords, as it conjures up images of human action and thought that seem obvious and unquestionable. These are scenarios in which humans, as conscious beings, play a role in relation to both history and nature. On the other hand, the Earth has undoubtedly never before been wrapped in a web of technical activity to the extent that no place remains untouched by human transformation. Yet humanity as a whole has never before seemed so unable to direct its actions towards an acceptable and shared goal. Environmental disaster, war and economic injustice are increasingly prevalent. This is a paradoxical and dramatic situation, given that any solution on the part of humanity — specifically in terms of technical design — seems only capable of accelerating the impending apocalypse. However, technology should be ‘useful’ and not ‘harmful’; it should be a ‘friend’ and not a ‘foe’.
Maurizio Guerri, a lecturer in aesthetics at the Brera Academy, drew inspiration from this set of complex ideas when putting together ‘Le parole della tecnica. Concetti, ideologie, prospettive’ (The words of technique. Concepts, ideologies, perspectives), a project involving several contributors featuring a collection of 19 words related to technology. According to the editor, this undertaking is based on the possibility of ‘practising a knowledge that is capable of imposing itself as a form of resistance, redemption, or at least desertion’ with respect to conventional thinking. In other words, it is a return to the knowledge of the meaning of words and thus to their real content, in order to better understand where one is and, above all, where one can go.
In alphabetical order, the words considered are alienation, artefact, artificial intelligence, automation, biopolitics, body, capitalism, control, design, device, gamification, globalisation, image, metropolis, progress, space, time, war and work. For each word, an analysis is provided, but above all, an illustration is given to encourage the reader to look beyond the conventional meaning.
This book, edited by Maurizio Guerri, is certainly not an easy read, nor is it something to be read casually. However, it is certainly a valuable resource for understanding the true meaning of concepts that are all too often misused and distorted.
Le parole della tecnica. Concetti, ideologie, prospettive
Maurizio Guerri (editor)
Einaudi, 2025
A study of a collection of 19 keywords has been published to help readers better understand the evolution of the economy and society
Technology and so progress, production, growth, development but also exploitation, alienation, control and much more. ‘Technique’ is certainly one of today’s buzzwords, as it conjures up images of human action and thought that seem obvious and unquestionable. These are scenarios in which humans, as conscious beings, play a role in relation to both history and nature. On the other hand, the Earth has undoubtedly never before been wrapped in a web of technical activity to the extent that no place remains untouched by human transformation. Yet humanity as a whole has never before seemed so unable to direct its actions towards an acceptable and shared goal. Environmental disaster, war and economic injustice are increasingly prevalent. This is a paradoxical and dramatic situation, given that any solution on the part of humanity — specifically in terms of technical design — seems only capable of accelerating the impending apocalypse. However, technology should be ‘useful’ and not ‘harmful’; it should be a ‘friend’ and not a ‘foe’.
Maurizio Guerri, a lecturer in aesthetics at the Brera Academy, drew inspiration from this set of complex ideas when putting together ‘Le parole della tecnica. Concetti, ideologie, prospettive’ (The words of technique. Concepts, ideologies, perspectives), a project involving several contributors featuring a collection of 19 words related to technology. According to the editor, this undertaking is based on the possibility of ‘practising a knowledge that is capable of imposing itself as a form of resistance, redemption, or at least desertion’ with respect to conventional thinking. In other words, it is a return to the knowledge of the meaning of words and thus to their real content, in order to better understand where one is and, above all, where one can go.
In alphabetical order, the words considered are alienation, artefact, artificial intelligence, automation, biopolitics, body, capitalism, control, design, device, gamification, globalisation, image, metropolis, progress, space, time, war and work. For each word, an analysis is provided, but above all, an illustration is given to encourage the reader to look beyond the conventional meaning.
This book, edited by Maurizio Guerri, is certainly not an easy read, nor is it something to be read casually. However, it is certainly a valuable resource for understanding the true meaning of concepts that are all too often misused and distorted.
Le parole della tecnica. Concetti, ideologie, prospettive
Maurizio Guerri (editor)
Einaudi, 2025