A Study On Raymond Williams' Hermeneutics Of Technology

The substance of this paper is Raymond Williams'hermeneutics of technology. The present paper aims at explaining Raymond Williams'hermeneutics of technology from his thought resources of cultural criticism, social criticism and communication studies in view of philosophy. It explores Williams'intrinsic academic concern in order to catch on Williams'ultimate purpose of reconstituting life style radically. The paper delves the theoretical framework of Williams'hermeneutics of technology standing on domestic and foreign scholars'research progress of Williams'thoughts and philosophy of technology. It applies means and perspective of hermeneutics and regards technicalization of social text as object and background."Medium is culture"is the ontology. Intermediary view is the epistemology. Cultural materialism is the methodology. Williams'hermeneutics of technology involves in social critique of technical rationality, democratic critique of technical hegemony and ideological critique of industrialism. In accordance with the above topics, the thesis presents in six chapters.Chapter one is the introduction, presenting and demonstrating the research topic and key thread of the paper based on the comprehensive analysis of the studies on Williams at home and abroad. It outlines the inherent logic and dimension of Williams'hermeneutics of technology and makes an overall introduction into the paper's meaning and innovation.The second chapter tends to explain the manifestation of Williams' hermeneutics of technology. The research object of Williams'hermeneutics of technology is technological society. The technological text possesses integrity reality and daily quality. Basing on the premise, Williams composes research paradigm of hermeneutics of technology:"Medium is culture"is the ontology; Intermediary view is the epistemology; Cultural materialism is the methodology. Williams corroborates the research paradigm and thought essential of hermeneutics of technology according to the example of television.Chapter three proclaims the core idea of hermeneutics of technology. Williams holds that communication rationality is the unity of technical rationality and value rationality through social critique of technical rationality. Communication rationality exists in essential attribute of humanity. It is primary for human. Williams opens out constructive function of public consciousness for communication rationality by explaining public sphere mass communication and communicative institution.Chapter four principally probes into an important content of Williams' hermeneutics of technology. That is democratic critique of technical hegemony. Williams considers that it is industry and democracy to change our world. Their interaction comes into being technological social democracy. Technological social democracy is modern political living basis. The matter of traditional democracy is liberty and equality. Technological social democracy raises challenge to traditional democratic consciousness. Technology makes personal liberty as well as centralization rule. Modern social democracy turns into embodiment of technological hegemony because of influence of technology. Williams insists on technology producing arousal of mass culture."Cultures"defends legality of mass culture by cultural pluralism and diversity. Development of mass culture and arousal of mass consciousness restricts hegemonic factors of technological social democracy. Williams constructs utopia conceive of survival community by interpreting duality of technological social democracy. Although the idea is utopia, It is a necessary road for realizing real democracy in modern technological society.Chapter five principally probes into another important content of Williams'hermeneutics of technology. That is ideological critique of industrialism. He explains basic condition of industrialism as background through culture industry and pioneer politics. Williams analyses psychic coincide between movie and city, between movie and socialism through movie as modern narrative style and political theme of socialism. He posts living space of mass consciousness in industrialism. He analyses ending of modernism as ideology of industrialism and newborn of mass ideology in hermeneutics of technology. Williams points out that modernism is representation of ideologization of industrialism. Modernism is a process of producing new meaning, becomes a kind of criterion to gauge idea by selecting and sets standard. Meanwhile, Williams picks up that modern communication technology creates mass culture in modernism. Thus industrialism is paradoxical colligation. Williams explores the process of mass communication is the process of cultural production and rediscovery of ideology. Power relation of daily life is ideological struggle for hegemony. Medium is open. Public attach themselves to explanation of text although they don't participate in production of text content. They participate in production of text meaning by explaining. In this way, public is participant of political practice. They participate in struggle of ideology and achieve historic mission of fighting for cultural leadership.Chapter six searches after the ultimate aim of Williams'hermeneutics of technology. That is reconstitution of life style. Williams reconstructs the life text of modern society through the explanation of role of practical subject and diversification of individual living. He reconstructs mass culture and mass consciousness in feeling structure of modern life through analysis of hermeneutics of technology. He reconstructs community life by putting forward important idea as"be good with neighbors", equality of life, common culture and so on. Finally, Williams achieves the ultimate aim. Aim of reconstitution of life style is overstepping pressing brought by industry society and returning natural and free state in technological era. Although it is utopia, it provides constructive and operative development direction for building a harmonious society and world.