Technological Knowledge

Abstract

Artifacts, as we discussed them in the previous chapter, are the outcome of a process in which knowledge plays an important part. The nature of this knowledge has been a topic of controversy for many years already. Some philosophers have stated that the knowledge that is used by engineers to a large extent has been derived from science. This opinion usually is brought forward under the phrase “technology as applied science”. Others, though, claim that technology has a body of knowledge of its own right and of a different nature than science. Their voice got stronger as criticism on the “technology as applied science” idea increased. Nowadays most philosophers will agree that at least part of what engineers know is of a different nature from what scientists know. What then are the differences? In this chapter we will try to get an impression of that. Because most literature focuses on the knowledge of engineers I will also use the term ‘engineering’ most of the time in this chapter. But as stated in Chap. 1, this term is used only to separate out those professionals who create technology from all people who are involved in the process of adapting the natural environment according to human needs. Users also can be said to have technological knowledge, but fewer types of knowledge. In order to get a view of the whole variety of types of technological knowledge, I have described the knowledge of engineers and I will assume that the knowledge that users have is a subgroup of the knowledge of engineers.