Emanuele Severino

Abstract

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It is a poor philosophy that pretends to tell science and technology how they should go about their business. Nevertheless, in Western history, there is no doubt that philosophy prepared the ground for the growth of science and technology: Firstly, by proposing “truth” as the absolute “limiter” of action, and hence also of “tekhne”; subsequently by demonstrating that such limitation does not exist – and thereby “setting free” scientific and technological activity. Thus, scientific and technological enterprise is increasingly less constrained by “natural laws”, but increasingly governed by various forms of "positive laws" established by (Western) society during its history.

Science and technology became even less constrained by philosophy when they ceased to take philosophy into consideration. In fact, scientific-technological enterprise becomes more powerful (free) the more it realises that there are no limits to its domination of the world. Yet only philosophic thought can reveal this lack of limits. Because it has been liberated, the scientific-technological juggernaut is destined to dominate the Earth: in other words is destined to become the means of achieving the aims of the major forces present in western society (capitalism, communism, democracy, Christianity, Islam, etc.). In turn these forces are destined to become the means of helping realise the ever-growing power of the scientific-technological machine.

This interaction between the philosophical liberation of science-technology, and the latter’s rise to world domination, is the fundamental trend or process of our times. The future of science is in fact that of world domination. However, this does not mean science-technology will have the last word. However, an examination of who or what will have the last – most decisive – word is well outside the scope of this Conference.