Technics of Existence - by Amelie Berger-Soraruff (Hardcover)

About the Book

"What does it mean to exist in the age of social media? This is a question that French philosopher Bernard Stiegler thoroughly explores in his broad body of work regarding the futurity of the human and its relation to technologies. Yet this book argues that this question would be best answered by reading Stiegler in close connection with Jean-Paul Sartre's existential phenomenology and Foucault's biopolitics. Extending Stiegler's views to the field of media studies, Technics of Existence brilliantly brings nuance to his portrayal of digital culture which he perceived as increasingly alienating"--

Book Synopsis

What does it mean to exist in the age of social media?

This is a question that French philosopher Bernard Stiegler thoroughly explores in his broad body of work regarding the futurity of the human and its relation to technologies. Yet this book argues that this question would be best answered by reading Stiegler in close connection with Jean-Paul Sartre's existential phenomenology and Foucault's biopolitics.

Taking the philosophy of Bernard Stiegler as main departure point, Amelie Berger-Soraruff examines to what extent a politics of Self is of a crucial importance in the current digital culture. Refreshingly original, this book offers a closer look at Stiegler's lesser known contributions such as Taking Care of Youth and the Generations, often criticized or overlooked due to its odd conservatism. It also newly frames Stiegler's philosophy as a contemporary echo to Sartrean existentialism, shedding light on the ways in which Sartre appears as a figure who is paradoxically absent from his work and is yet influential in many respects. Extending Stiegler's views to the field of media studies, this book brilliantly brings nuance to his portrayal of digital culture which he perceived as increasingly alienating.

Review Quotes

This is a book for those inclined to go against the grain. It observes that recent philosophy of technology is broadly oriented towards an empirical horizon of actions, solutions, and innovations, thereby consistently favoring anticipation, construction, and design over introspection, speculative reason, and above all the existential question of the human subject. Against all proclamations of the latter being outmoded, deceased, and surpassed, Amelie Berger-Soraruff offers a thought-provoking discussion of human subjectivity and existence.

About the Author

Amélie Berger-Soraruff is based at the Maison Française d'Oxford. She is an Associate Member of the Scottish Centre for Continental Philosophy at the University of Dundee, UK. Her latest publications include an article titled 'The Decline of Innovation and the Rise of Contribution' in the journal Cultural Politics (2024), the English translation of Raymond Ruyer's La cybernétique de l'information (2023), and a book chapter titled 'Foucault According to Stiegler: Technics of the Self' in The Late Foucault: Ethical and Political Questions (Bloomsbury, 2020).