The Essence of Technology and Modern Views of Death, Suffering, and Medicine
Open Access
Author:
Gotter, Sara
Area of Honors:
Philosophy
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Nicolas J De Warren, Thesis Supervisor Brady Bowman, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
technology Enframing death medicine suffering pain Heidegger Foucault Becker the medical gaze Scarry modernity master and possessor of nature
Abstract:
The modern age and the technological revolutions that accompanied it have resulted in a paradigm shift in society. The way in which technology holds sway in the modern world, termed by Martin Heidegger as Enframing, results in a very different mode of perceiving reality. As man becomes increasingly able to use technological advancements to bend the world to his will, he begins to view reality as a collection of tools at his dispense. The ensuing belief that he can fully conquer nature leads him to reduce reality to only what is knowable and manipulable. In doing so, his ability to perceive the essences of things, including his own essence, greatly diminishes. The fundamental shift in his relationship with reality affects a multitude of elements in his life, particularly his attitude toward pain, suffering, and death. These foundational changes will be explored in this thesis, especially with regard to effects on the view and practice of modern medicine. Ultimately, the aim of this thesis is to demonstrate that the role of technology in modern medicine has resulted in the objectification of the patient body, obscuring the patient’s identity as a human being and, therefore, resulting in a failure to treat the whole person.
