Early Philosophers of Technology from Media Determinism in Cyberspace by Samuel Ebersole The philosophy of technology does not have a clear beginning. However, modern philosophers and historians frequently point to the rationalists and empiricists of the early 17th century as a source of thought which began to combine philosophy and science in new ways. Crossing the Postmodern Divide with Borgmann by Douglas Kellner In his major works, Albert Borgmann has explored in depth and detail the role of technology in contemporary life and provided compelling critical, philosophical perspectives. In this study, I primarily discuss Crossing the Postmodern Divide (1992) in relation to the themes of his earlier Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life (1984). While appreciating Borgmann's attempt to provide distinctions between modernity and postmodernity as historical epochs, I challenge his analysis of a postmodern divide and sketch out an alternative conception of technology that critically engages some of Borgmann's positions. The Tragedy in Technology by Jon Katz In our lifetimes - if ever - it's hard to imagine anything approaching a consensus on technology's place in the world. Fixed positions and ideologies regarding technology always seem troubling and inadequate, perhaps because they fail to take into account technology's inherent unpredictability. We seem perpetually shocked by the productive creations and terrible consequences of technology, even though it should be clear by now that both are inevitable, that one follows the other.

What is Transhumanism? by Nick Bostrom Over the past few years, a new paradigm for thinking about humankind's future has begun to take shape among some leading computer scientists, neuroscientists, nanotechnologists and researchers at the forefront of technological development. The new paradigm rejects a crucial assumption that is implicit in both traditional futurology and practically all of today's political thinking. This is the assumption that the "human condition" is at root a constant. Present-day processes can be fine-tuned; wealth can be increased and redistributed; tools can be developed and refined; culture can change, sometimes drastically; but human nature itself is not up for grabs. Cybersex and the Decline of Self by Nick Bostrom Internet participation is a universal equalizer, in that it reduces ones identity strictly to the words that one types. Gone is the potential for discrimination or categorization based on gender, race, age, or any outward physical characteristics. One defines his/her identity entirely through language. That consequent anonymity combined with the power to redefine oneself, is the first step toward a potential decline of self on a personal level. Technology and Religion, Technology as Religion About.com Common thinking among secularists and nonbelievers of various sorts tends to be that religion and science are fundamentally incompatible. This incompatibility is also imagined to extend to the relationship between religion and technology, since technology is so often a product of science and science cannot proceed without technology, especially today.