Gestell
Encyclopedia
Gestell is a German
word used by twentieth century German philosopher
Martin Heidegger
to describe what lies behind or beneath modern technology
.
of technology
. The conclusion regarding the essence of technology was that technology is fundamentally enframing. As such, the essence of technology is Gestell. Indeed, "Gestell, literally 'framing', is an all-encompassing view of technology, not as a means to an end, but rather a mode of human
existence
."
The point that Heidegger was attempting to convey with Gestell was that all that has come to presence in the world has been enframed. Thus what is revealed in the world, what has shown itself as itself (the truth of itself) required first an enframing, literally a way to exist in the world, to be able to be seen and understood. Concerning the essence of technology and how we see things in our technological age, the world has been framed as the "standing-reserve." Heidegger writes,
Furthermore, concerning Heidegger's use of the word Gestell, another point must be noted. Heidegger uses the word in a way that is uncommon by giving Gestell an active role. In ordinary usage the word would signify simply an apparatus of some sort like a bookrack, but for Heidegger Gestell is literally a challenging forth and a "gathering together" for the purpose of revealing. Gestell is a demanding summons through an assembly and an ordering.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
word used by twentieth century German philosopher
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher known for his existential and phenomenological explorations of the "question of Being."...
to describe what lies behind or beneath modern technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
.
Heidegger's notion of Gestell
This concept was applied to Heidegger's exposition of the essenceEssence
In philosophy, essence is the attribute or set of attributes that make an object or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it loses its identity. Essence is contrasted with accident: a property that the object or substance has contingently, without...
of technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
. The conclusion regarding the essence of technology was that technology is fundamentally enframing. As such, the essence of technology is Gestell. Indeed, "Gestell, literally 'framing', is an all-encompassing view of technology, not as a means to an end, but rather a mode of human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
existence
Existence
In common usage, existence is the world we are aware of through our senses, and that persists independently without them. In academic philosophy the word has a more specialized meaning, being contrasted with essence, which specifies different forms of existence as well as different identity...
."
The point that Heidegger was attempting to convey with Gestell was that all that has come to presence in the world has been enframed. Thus what is revealed in the world, what has shown itself as itself (the truth of itself) required first an enframing, literally a way to exist in the world, to be able to be seen and understood. Concerning the essence of technology and how we see things in our technological age, the world has been framed as the "standing-reserve." Heidegger writes,
Enframing means the gathering together of that setting-upon which sets upon man, i.e., challenges him forth, to reveal the real, in the mode of ordering, as standing-reserve. Enframing means that way of revealing which holds sway in the essence of modern technology and which is itself nothing technological.
Furthermore, concerning Heidegger's use of the word Gestell, another point must be noted. Heidegger uses the word in a way that is uncommon by giving Gestell an active role. In ordinary usage the word would signify simply an apparatus of some sort like a bookrack, but for Heidegger Gestell is literally a challenging forth and a "gathering together" for the purpose of revealing. Gestell is a demanding summons through an assembly and an ordering.
Later uses of the concept
- Giorgio AgambenGiorgio AgambenGiorgio Agamben is an Italian political philosopher best known for his work investigating the concepts of the state of exception and homo sacer....
- Albert BorgmannAlbert BorgmannAlbert Borgmann is an American philosopher, specializing in the philosophy of technology. He was born in Freiburg, Germany, and is a professor of philosophy at the University of Montana.-Philosophy:...
loosely based his concept of Device paradigmDevice paradigm- Concept :The term is meant to signify or distinguish between technological devices and "focal things and practices." The term, Device Paradigm, was introduced into the literature of philosophy of technology by Albert Borgmann in his 1984 book, Technology and the Character of Contemporary...
on Heidegger's concept of Gestell - Claudio CiborraClaudio CiborraClaudio Ciborra was a professor of Information Systems and PWC Chair in Risk Management in the London School of Economics. Prior to the LSE, he was professor at the Theseus International Management Institute....
analyses Information System infrastructure using the concept of Gestell