Abstract
Externalism in philosophy of technology, design studies, cognitive science, technologystudies, and material culture studies, has taken theoretical center stage. It is increasingly fashionableto assert that agency is not exclusively a quality of human beings, but an intrinsically distributedquality - inescapably of both humans and material things (devices, artifacts, technologies...). It is a case of externalism regarding the notion of agency. But there is a potential tension between at least three strands of thought, each with its own distinct programmatic argument, prominent in this literature. The contribution of this paper does not lie in discussing whether externalism regarding the notion of agency is justifiable; but simply to highlight (what seems to me to be) three rather different central arguments (and claims) that organize and inform the idea of material agency in this recent literature.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Copenhagen working papers on design |
| Subtitle of host publication | the borderland between philosophy and design research |
| Editors | Helle Hove, Per Galle |
| Place of Publication | Copenhagen |
| Publisher | The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts |
| Pages | 1-5 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Volume | 2010 |
| ISBN (Print) | 8798547860 |
| Publication status | Published - 2011 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | CEPHAD 2010 Conference - Copenhagen Duration: 26 Jan 2010 → 29 Jan 2010 |
Conference
| Conference | CEPHAD 2010 Conference |
|---|---|
| City | Copenhagen |
| Period | 26/01/10 → 29/01/10 |
Keywords
- argument by parity
- functional equivalence
- coupling as constitution
- material agency; embodiment
- externalism
- the locational claim
- the constitution claim