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1. Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3
Peter Kroes

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The paper argues that in order to understand the nature of technological knowledge (i.e., knowledge of technical artefacts as distinct from knowledge of natural objects) it is necessary to develop an epistemology of technical functions. This epistemology has to address the problem of the meaning of the notion of function. In the dominant interpretations, functions are considered to be dispositions, comparable to physical dispositions such as fragility and solubility. It is argued that this conception of functions is principally flawed. With the help of Carnap’s analysis of dispositional terms it is shown that there is a fundamental difference between physical dispositional terms and functional dispositional terms. This difference concerns the issue of the normativity; with regard to functional dispositions, it makes sense to construct normative statements of a particular kind, with regard to physical dispositions it does not.

2. Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3
Joseph C. Pitt

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3. Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3
Walter G. Vincenti

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4. Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3
Jim Demmers, Dara O'Neil

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As pervasive as the use of the Internet has become in the United States, a huge percentage of the world’s population has yet to ever use a telephone. It seems ironic, then, that there is a concerted effort on the part of industrialized nations to first hook up their traditionally disadvantaged citizens to the Internet and second, to hook up citizens of developing nations. This paper addresses the universal access phenomenon by considering the growth of the Internet in terms of Leaver and Taker users—idioms usually associated with a culture’s interactions with its environment. Leaver cultures interact with their environment in a sustainable manner while Taker cultures produce more than they need and impose their ways upon others. The Internet is explored as a community of users, which in its current state is dominated by Takers. However, realizing the need for a more heterogeneous Internet community, this paper explores incentives for Leaver cultures to assimilate online and methods of improving interface designs to be more intuitive to Leaver communities. It is hoped that a tragedy of the commons of Internet resources can be avoided as more Leavers participate in the sustainment of the Internet as a valuable tool for all communities.

5. Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3
Andrew Sabl

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6. Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3
Jack Simmons

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