Understanding the Underdetermination Thesis in Philosophy of Technology

Abstract

The aim of the text is to answer the question: how should the thesis of underdetermination be understood in the field of research on technology? What does this thesis help explain? What difficulties can be seen in adopting it? First, I present the context of the thesis and its first formulation in the philosophy of technology. Then I present a case study that illustrates the mechanism reconstructed in the thesis and, at the same time, an argument for its adoption. It is also a model example of an analysis conducted within SCOT (Social Construction of Technology)—the social construction of technology. Then I reconstruct an alternative formulation of the thesis—it is not mutually exclusive with Feenberg’s proposal, but in my opinion it can be treated as its specification. Finally, I present the main consequences of adopting this thesis.