Philosophical Studies On Technological Cognition

Since the empirical turn of technology philosophy, the philosophical analysis of technology and it’s effectiveness are required to be based on the sufficient experience. Through the detail and empirical case study, to reveals the relevant philosophical issues of technology. So technology epistemology can’t only analyses the logical structure of technological knowledge, but also analyses the process of technology activity. Therefore, the analysis of technological cognition consists of four parts.What is technological cognition? As we know that technology is the communication-mode between man and nature, technological cognition has at least two implications, one meaning cognitive activities is technological, and the other meaning cognitive results is technological. Compared with scientific cognition, technological cognition has not only truthfulness, accuracy, predictability and comprehensiveness, but also practicality and effectiveness. Technological cognition is the cognition of practice and it’s result of transforming nature and creating artificial nature, in other words technological cognition is the cognition of the operation, control and transform of object. So technological cognition is the result of concrete practice, and human being creates and deepens it during the process of transforming nature and creating artificial nature.The process of technological cognition. Dynamic technological cognition contains many complex processes and procedures. According to the general process, technological cognitive activity includes three stages, technology problem, technology design and technology use. Technology problem is the starting point and running through the process of technological activity, and guides the follow-up activities. What is technology problem? It is not the negative effects, but the problem which should be solved during the technological process. It is the conflict of various factors. The process and results of the problem analysis can provide important guideline of solving the problem. Technology design is the concretion, elaboration and visualizing of the guideline. Technology design programme is the visualizing of the solution of technology problem, through the manufacturing, the visual solution is materialized, and then to the use stage. During the use process, the internalization and background of technological cognition is continuously.The essence and structure of technological knowledge. In general, technological knowledge is the system of knowledge, methods and skills during the process of invention, design, manufacture, use and maintenance of artifact. From the relationship between man and nature, technological knowledge can guide human activity of transforming nature into artificial nature. Therefore, technological knowledge is more complex than scientific knowledge. Due to its practicality, technological knowledge can accommodate two different characteristics, such as practicality and truthfulness, universality and context, potentiality and actuality, tacitness and explicitness.The context of technological cognition. The concrete technological activities and knowledge are all in a certain context. Although context is formed by multitudinous factors, such as space-time factors, historical and cultural traditions, the social role, cultural background and personality temperament of the stakeholders, and so on, these factors share one common characteristic, correlate to engineering technology. Context has determining influence on engineering technology, and context is the mode of existence of engineering technology, no hard and fast line can be drawn between the two. Technology is social, and melts the factors of society. The factors of context are the inner part of technology. Not all social factors are inherent in technology, and they are the part of context of technology.