In Search of Lost Imagination. Günther Anders’ Idea of Technological Change

Günther Anders’ invective against technocracy does not lead to an uncritical exaltation of the past or what is by nature. Anders argues for the defence of critical reflection and the exercise of imagination. He believes in the need to reinforce awareness of what is at stake, what values are at stake, and what capacities can be lost by playing the game of the pervasive ‘machinisation’ of society. Against the backdrop of the ever-new frontiers of artificial intelligence, Anders remains a relevant thinker because he does not advocate regressive gestures but rather a ‘true’, ‘critical’ progress towards which to strive. He does not advocate rejecting technology in the name of an implausible naturalistic dream, rather the full exercise of human control over progress through the recovery of our lost sense of randomness and capacity for imagination.