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10.4 Metatechnica and Technica Negativa
10.4.1 What is Metatechnica?
Metatechnica is a new term coined by Imamichi in Eco-ethica to help research new
technological problems related to modern circumstances. Greek preposition “meta”
means “after or beyond” and “technica” means technology - namely, to think about
modern technology. In briefly, “after and beyond” research of technology itself, we
must investigate meta-technica as an important problem in the twenty-first century.
Like Aristotle's Metaphysics is “after and on (beyond)” research into physics
through observations of phenomena in nature, Imamichi thought more profoundly
concerning the “Being of human existence and God”. A new question then occurs:
What is the purpose of Metaphysics? Aristotelian thought was teleological and
went beyond ousia (existence). According to his Nichomachean Ethics, his aim is
the superior goodness, the best, i.e., happiness. (cf.
Imamichi
, vols. 1-24).
Based on philosophical reflection suggested by Aristotle, the aim of technolog-
ical conjuncture or cohesion is happiness. The new question arose: “what is
happiness in the contemporary situation, namely, in the era of technological
conjuncture or cohesion?” In other words: What is happiness in the twenty-first
century? It is “living on the same globe” or living with the others even if they are in
an entirely different country or even if they belong to different race, having the
same consciousness to live together and knowing each other on the same globe.
Meta-technica is a philosophical reflection on this newly-developed perspective
on human existence that has opened for the future of society. And it is necessary to
analyze modern technology within the perspective of eco-ethica. The terms
Technica Positiva and Technica Negativa were proposed by Imamichi in 1998.
(Imamichi, Theoretical Interaction between Metatechnica and Eco-ethica,
pp. 1-10. in vol. 16). Technica Positiva includes ordinary human activities for
making new products, i.e., artifacts: technology itself is always against natural
phenomena - against the dynamic “Werden” (becoming of nature), so to speak.
Technology builds artifacts vertically on the ground: its positive activities are
against the direction of geotropism (growth of a living organism in response to
gravity, as the downward growth of plant roots).
10.4.2 Technica Positiva and Technica Negativa
The design for new technology might aim at the effective production of new,
convenient, and safe products (artifacts). We human beings want to have richer and
more convenient lives, and technologists make creative designs to realize the dreams
and desires of people. Nowadays, consumers may also participate in the process of
creative activities from the beginning. This means that the definition of consumer has
changed. Consumers have become makers of new products (artifacts) along with the
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