ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces two major notions: life and technology. In both cases, their meaning is controversial and subject to various perspectives and interpretations. “Life” as well as “technology” are not objects belonging to the empirically researchable world. They rather describe human patterns to reflect on issues in the world from different perspectives and with regard to different cognitive interests. The term “life” belongs to the core concepts of anthropology, biology, and philosophy as well as to everyday and common language. In everyday life, communication about technology is usually unproblematic, because a specific technology, specific techniques, or the attribute “technical” at the occasion of a specific setting and framing will be the focus. The frame of meaning is given through the respective context of the communication situation, for example in the household, in dealing with the automobile, or industrial production. Regularity, reproducibility, and situational invariance have proven to be characteristic of the generalizing discussion on technologies and the concept of technology.
