Emergent Thinkers™

As we gather closer to the hearth in these coming days, turning away from our daily routines to embrace the company of family and friends, the festive season can also gift us with a reflective mood. Presently, my thoughts are influenced by my reading of Bernard Stiegler, a philosopher of technology who has delved into Heidegger’s profound question: ‘What is technology in relation to humanity?’ Amongst the wealth of powerful insights, Stiegler’s concept of “economising as a form of care” resonates deeply, not least as it speaks to my work in Harmonious Entrepreneurship and ongoing post-doctoral writing on fostering the development of higher-order thinking skills, so essential for coexisting with machines in today’s world.

Reading Stiegler in these very weeks characterised by rampant marketing, voluminous economic transactions, and the allure of luxury, has potentially amplified the messages of his critique of modern media and consumer culture. He astutely observes that our contemporary culture, driven by aggressive marketing and consumerism, fosters ‘short circuits’ in our cognitive processes, leading to quick and often superficial engagement not only with information and with ‘others’, but also with life itself. This also chimes with my phemomemological reflections writing on the amplifying and reductive influences of technology on thinking development. Fighting the draw to be consumed or overwhelmed by advanced technologies dystopian potential, I have been pleasantly subsumed by Stiegler’s option of a new order where genuine economising transcends the traditional focus on profit and efficiency. He advocates for a more compassionate and sustainable approach through the economy of contribution as an alternative mode of economic operation. ‘To economise means first of all and before anything else to take care‘ (Ars Industrialis, 2010). To contribute, means to care: for oneself, for creativity and knowledge, for society and for the world.

Engaging with Stiegler’s philosophy has impacted my thinking and my outlook. Stiegler’s ideas inspire not only in my professional and academic pursuits but also in my philosophical musings on daily living, They have motivated me to reconsider not only the metrics that govern my professional and academic lifeworld but also those that shape my ideas and values about a well-lived life, or, in his words, “a life worth living.” This perspective includes valuing long-term well-being, ethical responsibility, and authentic connections beyond societal success metrics.

I look forward to incorporating these insights into my projects and research. Thank you for staying the journey with me. Now, postdoc, but still, experimental, and open, as a novice navigating the world.

Here’s to a season filled with reflection and a new year with purposeful and sustainable living.

Merry Christmas and good health and care to you all.

Felicity

Manifesto 2010 | Ars Industrialis