Günter Ropohl (14 June 1939 in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

, Germany – 28 January 2017) was a German philosopher of technology.

Biography

Günter Ropohl studied

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, an ...

and philosophy at Stuttgart University, where he was a scholar of the philosopher

Max Bense Max Bense (7 February 1910 in Strasbourg – 29 April 1990 in Stuttgart) was a German philosopher, writer, and publicist, known for his work in philosophy of science, logic, aesthetics, and semiotics. His thoughts combine natural sciences, art, a ...

. After his PhD (

Dr.-Ing. The Doktoringenieur (acronym Dr.-Ing., also ''Doktor der Ingenieurwissenschaften'') is the German engineering doctorate degree, comparable to the Doctor of Engineering, Engineering Doctorate, Doctor of Science (Engineering), Doctor of Science ...

) in 1970, he wrote his Habilitation thesis in Philosophy und Sociology at

Karlsruhe University The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; german: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie) is a public research university in Karlsruhe, Germany. The institute is a national research center of the Helmholtz Association. KIT was created in 2009 w ...

1978 under the supervision of

Hans Lenk Hans Lenk (born 23 March 1935) is a German rower who competed for the United Team of Germany in the 1960 Summer Olympics, and an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy. He was born in Berlin. In 1960, he was a crew member of the West German boat wh ...

. His work dealt with the

systems theory Systems theory is the interdisciplinary study of systems, i.e. cohesive groups of interrelated, interdependent components that can be natural or human-made. Every system has causal boundaries, is influenced by its context, defined by its structu ...

of " Technik" (engl. ''technique''), leading to the concept of general technology. In 1979, Ropohl became professor at the

Universität Karlsruhe (TH) The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; german: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie) is a public research university in Karlsruhe, Germany. The institute is a national research center of the Helmholtz Association. KIT was created in 2009 ...

. Soon after, in 1981, he became professor for Allgemeine Technologie (general technology) and

philosophy of technology The philosophy of technology is a sub-field of philosophy that studies the nature of technology and its social effects. Philosophical discussion of questions relating to technology (or its Greek ancestor ''techne'') dates back to the very dawn of ...

at the

Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Goethe University (german: link=no, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main) is a university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealt ...

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

, Germany (until 2004). In the 1980s, he visited his colleague and friend

Carl Mitcham Carl Mitcham (born 1941) is a philosopher of engineering and technology, Professor Emeritus of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at the Colorado School of Mines and Visiting International Professor of Philosophy of Technology at Renmin Univers ...

in the United States. From 1983 to 1991, i.e. during the period of the Cold War, he was course director and visiting lecturer at the Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik (

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

). In 1988, he was invited as visiting professor at the

Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private research university in the town of Henrietta in the Rochester, New York, metropolitan area. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional ...

, Rochester NY. Ropohl was an honorary member of the German Engineering Association ( VDI), due to his interdisciplinary engagement for the philosophy of technology. He was co-editor of an anthology of the ''classics'' in the philosophy of technology in a Continental-European tradition. Ropohl published 15 monographs, (co-)edited another 15 books and published more than 180 articles. He died on 28 January 2017 at the age of 77.

Philosophy

A central concept in his work was sociotechnical systems, i.e. he regarded techniques as societal structures. Ropohl was a critic of the systems theory of

Niklas Luhmann Niklas Luhmann (; ; December 8, 1927 – November 6, 1998) was a German sociologist, philosopher of social science, and a prominent thinker in systems theory. Biography Luhmann was born in Lüneburg, Free State of Prussia, where his father's fa ...

and voted for the recognition of material culture. His definition of (''German'') "Technik" included a) the

utility As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosoph ...

, b) artificiality and c)

functionality Function or functionality may refer to: Computing * Function key, a type of key on computer keyboards * Function model, a structured representation of processes in a system * Function object or functor or functionoid, a concept of object-oriente ...

. In the focus of his work is the combination of technique as artefact and

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

, whereas

knowledge Knowledge can be defined as Descriptive knowledge, awareness of facts or as Procedural knowledge, practical skills, and may also refer to Knowledge by acquaintance, familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called pro ...

insinuates the meta-concept of

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and Reproducibility, reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in me ...

. Therefore, he differentiated between engineering sciences and technical sciences.Günter Ropohl, ''Eine Systemtheorie der Technik'', 1979, p. 34f. Ropohl was well known in the German-speaking academia for his writings on the concepts of ''Technik'' and ''Technologie'', the

ethics of technology The ethics of technology is a sub-field of ethics addressing the ethical questions specific to the Technology Age, the transitional shift in society wherein personal computers and subsequent devices provide for the quick and easy transfer of info ...

technology assessment Technology assessment (TA, German: , French: ) is a scientific, interactive, and communicative process that aims to contribute to the formation of public and political opinion on societal aspects of science and technology. This is a means of as ...

, professional ethics for engineers and on the societal need for educating towards technology literacy. He received a

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

with contributions from academic scholars, focusing on his work and related discourses, both on his 65th and 75th birthday (edited by Nicole C. Karafyllis, see literature), including a complete list of his publications from the late 1960s to 2014.

Selected publications in English

* Article on systems-theoretical approaches and morphological methods in forecasting, in; ''Technological Forecastings in Practice'', Farnborough/Lexington, MA: Saxon Jouse 1973, pp. 29–38. * Article in ''Research in Philosophy and Technology'', Vol. 2, ed. P. T. Durbin, Greenwich, CT: Jai Press 1979, pp. 15–52. * "Information doesn't make sense", in

and Alois Huning (Eds.): ''Philosophy and Technology II: Information Technology and Computers in Theory and Practice'', Dordrecht/Boston MA 1986, pp. 63–74. * "Deficiencies in Engineering Education", in P. T. Durbin (Ed.), ''Critical Perspectives on Nonacademic Science and Engineering'', Bethlehem, PA: Lehigh University Press and London/Toronto: Associated University Presses 1991, pp. 278–295. * "Knowledge Types in Technology", in: M.J. de Vries & A. Tamir (Eds.), ''Shaping Concepts of Technology. From Philosophical Perspective to Mental Images'', Dordrecht 1997. * "Technological enlightenment as a continuation of modern thinking", in Carl Mitcham (Ed.): Research in philosophy and technology, vol. 17, ''Technology, ethics and culture'', Creenwich CT/London: Jai Press 1998, pp. 239–248.
Philosophy of socio-technical systems
in: ''Society for Philosophy and Technology'', Spring 1999, Volume 4, Number 3, 1999. * "Mixed prospects of engineering ethics". ''European Journal of Engineering Education'', 27 (2) (2002), pp. 149–155.

Monographs in German

* Flexible Fertigungssysteme : zur Automatisierung der Serienfertigung. Mainz: Krausskopf 1971 (= Produktionstechnik heute 1, ed. H. J. Warnecke; dissertation Universität Stuttgart 1970) * Eine Systemtheorie der Technik : zur Grundlegung der Allgemeinen Technologie. München/Wien: Hanser 1979 (

Habilitationsschrift Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including ...

Universität Karlsruhe 1978). 2nd ed. 1999, 3rd ed. Karlsruhe 2009. * Die unvollkommene Technik. Frankfurt/M: Suhrkamp 1985 * Technologische Aufklärung : Beiträge zur Technikphilosophie. Frankfurt/M: Suhrkamp 1991, 2nd ed. 1999 * Ethik und Technikbewertung. Frankfurt/M: Suhrkamp 1996 * Wie die Technik zur Vernunft kommt : Beiträge zum Paradigmenwechsel in den Technikwissenschaften. Amsterdam: G+B Fakultas 1998 * Vom Wert der Technik. Stuttgart: Kreuz Verlag 2003 * Sinnbausteine : Ein weltlicher Katechismus. Leipzig: Reclam 2003 * Arbeits- und Techniklehre : Philosophische Beiträge zur technologischen Bildung. Berlin: Edition Sigma 2004 * Kleinzeug : Satiren – Limericks – Aphorismen. Münster: LIT Verlag 2004 * Allgemeine Technologie : Eine Systemtheorie der Technik. 3rd ed. of the 1979 book, Karlsruhe: Universitätsverlag 2009; http://digbib.ubka.uni-karlsruhe.de/volltexte/1000011529 * Signaturen der technischen Welt : Neue Beiträge zur Technikphilosophie, Berlin/Münster: LIT Verlag 2009 * Besorgnisgesellschaft, Berlin: Parodos 2014

Books about his work

* Karl Eugen Kurrer: ''The history of the theory of structures'', Ernst & Sohn 2008, pp. 148–152. * Nicole C. Karafyllis/Tilmann Haar (Eds.): ''Technikphilosophie im Aufbruch.

für Günter Ropohl.'' Berlin: Edition Sigma, 2004 (in German; includes a complete list of his publications from the late 1960s to 2004). * Nicole C. Karafyllis (Ed.): ''Das Leben führen? Lebensführung zwischen Technikphilosophie und Lebensphilosophie. Für Günter Ropohl zum 75. Geburtstag.'' Berlin: Edition sigma, 2014 (in German,

for Ropohl's 75th birthday; continues in the appendix the list of publications 2004-2014) * Elisabeth Gräb-Schmidt: ''Technikethik und ihre Fundamente. Dargestellt in Auseinandersetzung mit den technikethischen Ansätzen von Günter Ropohl und Walter Zimmerli''. De Gruyter 2002. * Friedrich Rapp:
Philosophy of Technology after twenty years: A German perspective
, ''Society for Philosophy and Technology'', 1995.

External links

* Josef Bordat
Mensch, Natur, Handlung. Zu Ropohls Systemtheorie der Technik. 2001.
* Private Website (in German
ropohl.de

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ropohl, Gunter 1939 births 2017 deaths German male writers German philosophers Goethe University Frankfurt faculty Karlsruhe Institute of Technology faculty Writers from Cologne Philosophers of technology Rochester Institute of Technology faculty Scientists in technology assessment and policy University of Stuttgart alumni University of Dubrovnik faculty