This deeply thought reflection on the dialectic between romanticism and technology advances our historico-philosophical understanding of contemporary technoculture. Mark Coeckelbergh here proves himself one of the leading contributors to what I consider a new wave in philosophy and technology studies. It is undoubtedly the case that, as Coeckelbergh argues, the human condition in the West is one of cyborgs struggling to discover ways of engagement with our machines that would go beyond romancing them. -- Carl Mitcham, Professor, Colorado School of Mines and Renmin (People's) University of China This book is as daring in its starting point as it is meticulous in its elaboration. Much more than an impressive and comprehensive study on technology and romanticism -- which it is too -- it offers a whole new way of looking at our use of technologies. Mark Coeckelbergh, quite effortlessly, confirms his reputation as one of the most versatile, profound, and original thinkers in the contemporary philosophy of technology. -- Yoni Van Den Eede, Senior Researcher, Free University of Brussels; author of Amor Technologiae
Mark Coeckelbergh is Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Vienna and author of New Romantic Cyborgs- Romanticism, Information Technology, and the End of the Machine (MIT Press).
New Romantic Cyborgs promises both to help us understand how
humans interact with AI and new ICT in the context of earlier
technological innovation, and to develop new ways to think about
and relate to machines—Times Literary Supplement
Coeckelbergh shows how romanticism does not turn away from
technology and science, but is fascinated by it.—The Time Dutch
Due to the amazing advances of science and technology in the
twentieth and twenty-first centuries, it is easy to overlook the
influence of romanticism on society and, in this sense, New
Romantic Cyborgs presents a solid counterbalance.—Philosophy in
Review
...drawing on and quoting amply from an extensive secondary
literature, Coeckelbergh paints a more complex and nuanced picture
[of romanticism]. Avoiding any sharp, unitary definition, he
variously associates romanticism with fascination with the sublime,
Gothic motifs, transcendence and echantment.—Notre Dame
Philosophical Reviews
Coeckelbergh is at his best when arguing that twenty-first century
ICTs represent a new stage in the relationship of humans and
machines; he is persuasive in tracing the steps that led up to it,
and he is right to sort ouf the long-term inplications of our novel
condition....New Romantic Cyborgs identifies a new reality and
poses powerful questions. The search for answers is only the
beginning.—ISIS
This well-researched, rich text challenges the idea that technology
is contrary to Romantic concepts of being....Providing a rigorous
literary and social history of Romanticism as layered social,
literary, artistic, and cultural movements,
Coeckelbergh...demonstrates proficient knowledge of the subject
matter....This text will serve as a strong introduction to
Romanticism across historical periods for scholars in technology
studies, media studies, or similar interdisciplinary fields, or as
an enrichment for historians interested in these time periods who
wish to engage with questions about technology and media.—Choice
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