Author: Toluwani Odedeyi

This is a follow-up to a previous Yack post, which explores doing philosophy of technology in Rhetoric & writing Studies (RWS). To read more about the ways in which philosophical frameworks of technology might benefit RWS, you can find the previous post here. Diane Davis (2021) has already informed us of rhetoricity as “the fundamental affectability and responsivity already supposed in every tangible rhetorical exchange, every enculturating inscription, every effort to reach or touch the other(s)” (p. 195). To put it another way, rhetoricity is the existential condition that allows rhetoric to happen in the first place. Davis puts it…

The philosophy of technology is fundamentally concerned with interrogating the epistemic, ontological, and ethical underpinnings of human engagements with technological systems, artifacts, and infrastructures. It compels us to reflect not only on the instrumental logic that drives technological development—e.g., assumptions of efficiency, optimization, and progress—but also on the deeper ontological and epistemological entanglements that shape human-technology relations. Every technological action is predicated upon implicit presuppositions: that a given tool will augment human capability, that a process will streamline productivity, or that an algorithm will yield objective, data-driven insights. Yet, the philosophy of technology insists upon a more rigorous examination of…

I’ve been captivated by digital technology ever since computers began making their mark in Iran in the late ’90s. Back then, owning a computer was a luxury, but I finally got my hands on one when I started my undergrad studies in English Literature in 1999. By that time, major search engines like Yahoo! and Google, as well as e-commerce giants like Amazon and eBay, were already emerging, fueling the dot-com boom. I closely identify with the Web 2.0 and dial-up generation of the 2000s to early 2010s—a period when the internet evolved into a more interactive and social space,…