Analysis of the modern scientistic technicality through William Barrett’s existentialism

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Boris Saavedra
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3307-907X

Abstract

The following essay provides a critical analysis of the scientistic technicism that emerged in modernity, through the existentialist thought of William Barrett, who stands out as one of the leading promoters of existentialism in North America. Barrett aimed to counteract the rise of technoscientific knowledge that was negatively influencing American philosophy and religion, causing a shift from religious faith to faith centered on technique and technology, which results in a 'feeling of helplessness' in the individual. In this way, Barrett presents existentialism as the best option to remedy the ethical-anthropological crisis that modern man was experiencing, as it allows them to reclaim the sense of the human and raise awareness among the significant mass of individuals so that they can discover their true historical destiny.

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How to Cite
Saavedra Pérez, B. (2023). Analysis of the modern scientistic technicality through William Barrett’s existentialism. Revista De Filosofia UCSC, 22(2), 279–288. https://doi.org/10.21703/2735-6353.2023.22.2.2025
Section
Essays
Author Biography

Boris Saavedra, San Sebastián University

Candidato a Magister en Doctrina Social de la Iglesia, Universidad San Sebastián. Diplomado en Estudio Interreligioso e Intercultural, Universidad Católica de Temuco. Licenciado en Filosofía Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción. Se desempeña como docente en la Universidad San Sebastián impartiendo las asignaturas de Antropología y Ética. También realiza clases de Filosofía, Ética y Moral en la Escuela de Grumetes “Alejandro Navarrete Cisterna”.

References

Barrett, W. (1967). El hombre irracional. Siglo Veinte.

Barrett, W. (2001). La ilusión de la técnica la búsqueda de sentido dentro de una civilización tecnológica (1ª ed.). Editorial Cuatro Vientos.

Brevda, W. (2006). “IS THERE ANY UP OR DOWN LEFT?” Noir and Existentialism. Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 89(3/4), 321–346. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41179201

Kohn, A. (1984). Existentialism Here and Now. The Georgia Review, 38(2), 381–397. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41398688

Solomon, R.C. (1992). Existentialism, Emotions, and the Cultural Limits of Rationality. Philosophy East and West, 42(4), 597–621. https://doi.org/10.2307/1399671