Technological ambivalence in the hypermodern era. An eco-ethical approach to our digital environment
Résumé
The establishment of the discipline of environmental ethics in the 1970s brought into question the anthropocentric conception of the relationship to the world that dominated the Western tradition at the time. In his desire to focus ethical reflection on the environment in the context of technological globalisation, however, the Japanese philosopher, Tomonobu Imamichi, bucked the trend and advocated a form of anthropocentrism himself. Imamichi's perspective, which is unusual to say the least, still remains one of the most powerful arguments in environmental ethics today. What is the justification for his concept of "eco-ethics" at a time when human beings are more aware than ever of their vulnerability, of their destruction of ecosystems and of the necessity of a collective redefinition of their relationship with nature? What is the purchase of such a form of thinking that is grounded in the human being? Above all, what does the addition of the term "eco" bring to the understanding we traditionally have of ethics and what are the consequences of Imamichi's thought for our understanding of our hypermodern times? In an attempt to answer these pressing ethical questions about our environment, this seminar draws on the work of the French philosopher, Bernard Stiegler.