Alsted, Johann Heinrich

Alsted was a foremost encyclopedist of the early seventeenth century. He provided both a complete presentation of all the subjects of philosophy (of which encyclopedia consisted) and a method to learn them. This method was an original syn- thesis of the dialectic of Petrus Ramus, the com- binatorial art of memory of Raimond Lull and Giordano Bruno, and the method of presentation of philosophical disciplines of Bartholom€aus Keckermann. Alsted’s encyclopedism was intended as a remedy to the postlapsarian condi- tion of man and was functional to the pedagogical reform pursued at the Academy of Herborn; this was, in turn, an essential part of the Calvinist state reform of the county of Nassau-Dillenburg. In theology, the importance of Alsted consists of having introduced millenarianism in the Reformed Europe, though his early, optimistic views on the imminent end of the world would change to pessimistic as a consequence of the Thirty Years’ War

Is there a french philosophy of technology ? General introduction

International audienceThe existence of a French philosophy of technology is a matter of debate. Technology has long remained invisible in French philosophy, due to cultural circumstances and linguistic specificities. Even though a number of French philosophers have developed views and concepts about technology during the twentieth century, "philosophy of technology" has never been established as a legitimate branch of philosophy in the French academic landscape so far. This book, however, demonstrates that a community of philosophers dealing with various issues related to technology and built up on the legacy of the previous generations has emerged. In gathering scholars with quite diverse theoretical backgrounds and matters of concern, this volume outlines a coherent, albeit heterogeneous, philosophical trend. Five chief characteristics are identified in this introduction: i) a close connection between history and philosophy, with a focus on the temporalities of technology, ii) the prevalence of the anthropological approach to technology whether it be social anthropology or paleoanthropology, iii) a focus on technological objects that we characterize as a "thing turn" à la française, iv) the dignification of technoscience as a philosophical category, and v) a pervading concern with ethical issues based on the anthropological interpretation of technology and quite distinct from current trends in applied ethics