- How would you apply Heidegger's assessment of "technology" in general to modern information technology, and to communications technology in particular?
- How can we understand information as a "standing-reserve?" Can information be viewed as a resource in the same way that we view coal or petroleum? Why or why not?
- What are the consequences of Heidegger's concentration on technology in the West?
Can you think of different scenarios involving technology in different global contexts?
- Do you agree with Heidegger's conception of the "enframing" as a basic element of human consciousness? Is there any evidence against this universal "truth"?
- Does it surprise you that Heidegger, who first presented this lecture in 1949, makes no mention of the Second World War, nor of the particularly horrifying applications of technology in his country during that war?
- How do Heidegger's argument compare with those of the environmentalist and anti-nuclear
movements of today? How do they compare with the anti-technological arguments of the so-called Luddites?
- How would you characterize the dangers of modern technology? How do your concerns compare with Heidegger's?
- From your own perspective, what are the particular dangers inherent in technology in the Pacific region today?
- Do you agree with Heidegger's characterization of art and the artist? How does Heidegger's conception of art's function in society correspond to your own?
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