Abstract

The third stage of engineering activityStagethe third stage of engineering activity is the using artifactsArtifactsusing artifacts and living a life. ForEngineeringphilosophy of engineering philosophy of engineering, artifacts are created in order to be used. Value is not only a major economic concept but also a philosophical one. Engineering and scientificScientistsscientific activityactivitiesActivityscientific activities differ in that the former are value-directed activities whereas the latter are mostly truth-directed ones. This chapter combines economic, semanticSemantics, sociological, and philosophical theories in order to analyze the issues of value, exchangeExchange, transaction, communication, and consumption. Specifically, three meanings of value and three major mediumsMediums of modern social communicationCommunicationthree major mediums of modern social communication will be considered. The production process creates various types of human-made thingsThinghuman-made things, or artifacts, which are different from natural thingsThingnatural things. Natural thingsThingnatural things can be named things-in-themselves, while artifacts can be named semi-things-in-themselves: half natural and half human-made through purposeful production activitiesActivityproduction activities. The main object of the philosophy of sciencePhilosophyphilosophy of science is the thing-in-itselfThingthing-in-itself, or the natural thingThingnatural things, whereas the main object ofEngineeringphilosophy of engineering philosophy of engineering is the semi-thing-in-itselfThingsemi-thing-in-itself, or the artifact. This chapter points out that the maxim “I use artifacts, therefore I am”I use artifacts, therefore I am can also be viewed as an independent maxim of the philosophy of engineering. Human activity is purposeful and the process of engineering is purpose-oriented. The philosophy of engineering should pay attention not only to purpose but also to consequenceConsequence and the relationship between purpose and consequenceConsequence. Based on the concepts of “thing-in-itself,” “semi-thing-in-itself,” “things for humans,” and “things for themselves,” this chapter makes a new analysis of alienation, including the alienation of artifactsAlienationalienation of artifacts, alienation of signsAlienationalienation of signs, and alienation of humanAlienationalienation of Man. At the end of this chapter, the concepts of life and freedomFreedom are briefly discussed from the perspective of theEngineeringphilosophy of engineering philosophy of engineering.