Abstract
Only in recent years in Germany can studies of the philosophy of science regarding technology be observed. This contribution discusses firstly the problems with the semantic meaning of terms like technology and techniques in German. This has to do with the not yet clarified borderlines between science and engineering. The German National Academy of Science and Engineering has delivered a contribution to this discussion by giving definitions, also with respect to philosophy of science as well as to ethical issues. After a short sketch of significant phases in the history of philosophy of technology and engineering in Germany, the borderline discussion between the so-called epistemic-oriented science (formerly named as pure sciences) and action-oriented sciences allows one to classify different types of knowledge and relations between theories of technologies. In Germany, topics like acceptance problems, responsibility of engineers, and distrust in large-scale technologies seem to have their roots in conflicts between the interests and value systems of the stakeholders involved, and in deficient methods of communication.
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Kornwachs, K. (2017). Is Technology a Science? Recent Developments in German Philosophy of Technology and Engineering. In: Michelfelder, D., Newberry, B., Zhu, Q. (eds) Philosophy and Engineering. Philosophy of Engineering and Technology, vol 26. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45193-0_5
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