Abstract
The process of total digitization of Being, generally referred to as digital convergence, has now entered a new phase, and this new aspect of digital convergence is being implemented through Ubiquitous Computing (UC). And such UC has emerged as a concrete life world that penetrates into cities and emerges new cities. The emerging urban reality, so-called Ubiquitous City, will have a tremendous influence in determining the future space of human beings. However, philosophical reflection is necessary to determine whether it is the right direction for the human to ride on this journey toward the future. For this reason, this paper philosophically traces the technological situation in which ubiquitous computing emerges as a third-generation HCI, and reveals its philosophical basis as Heidegger’s phenomenology. In this process, the article makes clear that the purpose of UC is to return the current direction of IT development especially back to the existential space of human beings. This develops into a discussion that crosses the discussion of UC with Heidegger’s spatial theory and Schulz’s phenomenology of architecture based on it.
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Notes
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Heidegger writes about the gathering of fourfold: “Earth is the serving bearer, blossoming and framing, spreading out in rock and water, rising up into plant and animal (Gertier). When we say earth, we are already thinking of the other three along with it, but we give no thought to the simple oneness of the four. But on the other:… mortals are… human beings. They are called mortals because they can die. To die means to be capable of death as death. Only man dies (Nur der Mensch stirbt), and indeed continually, as long as he remains on earth, under the sky, before the divinities. The sky is the vaulting path of the sun, the course of the changing moon, the wandering glitter of the stars, the year”s seasons and their changes, the light and dusk of day, the gloom and glow of night, the clemency and inclemency of the weather, the drifting clouds and blue depth of the ether. When we say sky, we are already thinking of the other three along with it, but we give no thought to the simple oneness of the four. The divinities10 are the beckoning messengers of the godhead. Out of the sway of the godhead, the god appears in his presence or withdraws into his concealment. When we speak of the divinities, we are already thinking of the other three along with them, but we give no thought to the simple oneness of the four” (Heidegger, “Building Dwelling Thinking” in Poetry, Language, Thought, transl. by Albert Hofstadter (Harper & Row, New York, 1971) p.147ff.
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Lee, J.K. (2020). Digital Technology, Urban Aesthetics, and Phenomenology. In: Lau, KY., Nenon, T. (eds) Phenomenology and the Arts: Logos and Aisthesis. Contributions to Phenomenology, vol 109. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30866-7_10
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