What Went Wrong with the West: Carl Mitcham’s Critique of Western Philosophy of Technology

This volume represents a critical development in philosophy of technology as Chinese scholars articulate a constructive Chinese philosophy of technology in dialogue with the West, but not subordinate to it. Carl Mitcham's introductory essay and Alfred Nordmann's contribution propose Western philosophers take more seriously the independent value of Chinese philosophy of technology. Additional essays are authored by established European philosophers, mid-career American thinkers, and young Chinese scholars. Included are comparative studies of philosophy of technology outside the Western-Chinese axis, as well as on Western critiques of traditional philosophy of technology. While much of Mitcham’s work has shaped the philosophy of technology and engineering, his later contribution poses a fundamental question of which new generations of philosophers must engage: What went wrong with the West? This volume is a must-read for scholars, advanced students, policymakers, and the general public interested in contemporary technology in a multipolar world.