Modern Technology as a Philosophical Problem: A Typology of Critical and Affirmative Attitudes in Light of Three Fundamental Propositions

This paper examines modern technology not merely as a collection of tools and processes but as a philosophical problem concerning the nature, value, and existential orientation of humankind. The study aims to reconstruct a coherent conceptual framework for analyzing four principal responses to technology—resistance, critical passivity, reform and substitution, and support and advancement—and to evaluate them in light of three fundamental propositions: (1) the overall harmfulness of modern technology, (2) whether technological harms are intrinsic or incidental, and (3) the human possibility of resisting technological expansion. The methodology combines conceptual analysis, argumentative evaluation, and comparative study of major contemporary positions, focusing especially on representative thinkers such as Martin Heidegger, Andrew Feenberg, Theodore Kaczynski, Ray Kurzweil, and proponents of traditionalist schools. The findings indicate that each of the four approaches rests upon a distinct set of philosophical and value-laden assumptions, and that the proposed tripartite criterion enables a more precise differentiation of technological policies. Furthermore, the study argues that the deepest divergences stem from competing conceptions of the autonomous human being and its relation to nature and the technical order. In conclusion, the paper proposes the conceptual and ethical conditions necessary for a potential rapprochement among these perspectives and outlines the research requirements for developing a reliable medium-term strategy toward technology.