Medialab Prado

We frequently ask how the cinematographic camera affects our conception of reality, but can we ask instead how it affects our conception of morality? What shape can discussions on the ethics of this and other technologies take? This essay addresses these questions beyond the usual focus on "use", that is, beyond focusing on ethical or unethical applications of technology. In its place, it investigates the philosophy of technology advocated by the French philosopher Henri Bergson. Bergson's famous statements on the cinematographic camera are considered in the context of his broader discussion of the technology. They are also analyzed as part of his much larger work on other technologies, including clocks, chronographs, telegraphs, automobiles and steam engines, and his debate with the famous physicist Albert Einstein. By looking at Bergson's work through this perspective, this essay analyzes the relation between ethics and technology by connecting it to current debates in the history and philosophy of technology.