Minor Anthropology of Technologies

• Valentina Tirloni, lecturer in Information and Communication Sciences, Université Côte d'Azur

We generally consider technology as a very useful tool to improve our life, to solve problems and to enjoy ourselves. Though, is there any negative downside? Has human being lost something of his/her peculiar nature? Is human being enhanced or diminished? How human being has changed with technological progress? Did we lose any particular value during that evolution?

This course will be set on four parts:

• Anthropological inquiry on Technics
  • New sociability
  • A New Narcissism
  • The impact of Technologies and Communication Tools on human life
• Transhumanism
  • Enhancement, augmentation, transformation of human body by technological devices
• Philosophical inquiry on Technics - The Question of Technics: what is the technological paradigm?
  • Technophobia versus Techno-philia
• An ethical approach to Technics
  • The ethical inversion
  • Tools and aims
  • Rights and Freedoms
  • Privacy protection

• 40 students

• Two written questions and a 3000 signs essay (Dec 10th)
• Free essay on a selected subject (Dec 17th)