<p>Two pervading factors in any life-world that are discussed, but never explicated are time and concrete action. No doubt, social theory (as well as every other theory) accepts time in the form of change, but the issue is as follows: There is a presumption that time is some sort of continuum in which things take place one after the other. The sciences take this for granted as a basis for their explanations of causal sequence, and even historians take this sequence for granted as a condition for dating historical events. The authors do not discard this theoretical construct, but rather, they point out that social life specifically in the modern world (which is, by now, global) involves time as multiple horizons of possibilities. Furthermore, the way these horizons comprise time reflexes in time is unavoidable in the multiple layers of social activities and plans, including economic, technical, educational, value systems, and in the selectivity of what will be counted as relevant facts and their interpretations. Indeed, such time reflexes disclose what a given society can and cannot do; that is, they determine what that societys limits are. This aspect of such limits is a continuous self-explication of social life, and time reflexes are coextensive with both social theory and method. The authors go on to illustrate the ways in which the practical world is constituted by concrete kinesthetic activity in practices such as the formation of implements, the building of edifices, and the engagement in other common intercorporeal activities, which become differentiated and mutual. Such activities precede abstract theoretical constructs and reveal what individuals and groups can do. The theoretical/methodological aspect of this level of analysis reveals that we know the others via direct perception not as physiological entities, but as makers of the entire oriented architectonic of any life-world. At this level, there is a primary understanding of the others, which is given in direct awareness of what they can do and what we cannot do, and which we also understand as something that we could also do. It is within this domain that one finds universal praxis.</p>

The Lived World of Social Theory and Methods (Contemporary Cultural Studies)

Politics & Social Sciences

Mickunas, Algis

Pilotta, Joseph

Sociology

Nova Science Pub Inc

Book by Mickunas, Algis, Pilotta, Joseph, Michunas, Algis

Technocracy Vs. Democracy: Issues in the Politics of Communication (Hampton Press Communication Series)

Michunas, Algis

Social Sciences

Hampton Pr

This text focuses on the potential conflict between the emancipatory function of communicative politics and the control effects that derive from communications, and discusses its relationship to the politics of liberation, democracy and market economy.

Technocracy Vs. Democracy: Issues in the Politics of Communication (Hampton Press Communication Series: Critical Bodies)

<p>Artificial intelligence (AI) is viewed as one of the technological advances that will reshape modern societies and their relations. While the design and deployment of systems that continually adapt hold the promise of far-reaching, positive change, they simultaneously pose significant risks, especially to already vulnerable people. This work explores the meaning of AI, and the important role of critical understanding and its phenomenological foundation in shaping its ongoing advances. The values, power, and magic of reason are central to this discussion. Critical theory has used historical hindsight to explain the patterns of power that shape our intellectual, political, economic, and social worlds, and the discourse on AI that surrounds these worlds. The authors also delve into niche topics in philosophy such as transcendental self-awareness, post-humanism, and concepts of space-time and computer logic. By embedding a critical phenomenological orientation within their technical practices, AI communities can develop foresight and tactics that can better align research and technology development with established ethical principles -- centering vulnerable people who continue to bear the brunt of the negative impacts of innovation and scientific progress. The creation of a critical-technical practice of AI will lead to a permanent revolution in social, scientific, and political communities. The years ahead will usher in a wave of new scientific breakthroughs and technologies driven by AI research, making it incumbent upon AI communities to strengthen the social contract through ethical foresight, a capability which only phenomenology can deliver, ultimately supporting future technologies that enable greater well-being, with the goal of delivering practical truths. A Critical Understanding of Artificial Intelligence: A Phenomenological Foundation is an essential read for anyone interested in the complex debate and phenomenology surrounding AI and its growing role in our society.</p>

A Critical Understanding of Artificial Intelligence: A Phenomenological Foundation

Computers & Technology

Computer Science

Bentham Science Publishers

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