Software Theory: A Cultural and Philosophical Study PDF
Preview Software Theory: A Cultural and Philosophical Study
Software Theory Media Philosophy Series Editors: Eleni Ikoniadou, Lecturer in Media and Cultural Studies at the LondonGraduateSchoolandtheSchoolofPerformanceandScreenStudies,King- ston University and Scott Wilson, Professor of Cultural Theory at the London Graduate School and the School of Performance and Screen Studies, Kingston University The Media Philosophy series seeks to transform thinking about media by inciting a turn towardsaccountingfortheirautonomyand‘eventness’,formachineagency,andforthenew modalitiesofthoughtandexperiencethattheyenable.Theseriesshowcasesthe‘transconti- nental’workofestablishedandemergingthinkerswhoseworkengageswithquestionsabout thereshufflingofsubjectivity,oftemporality,ofperceptionsandofrelationsvis-à-viscompu- tation, automation, and digitalisation as the current 21st century conditions of life and thought.Thebooksinthisseriesunderstandmediaasavehiclefortransformation,asaffec- tive,unpredictable,andnon-linear,andmovepastitsconsistentmisconceptionaspuremat- ter-of-factactuality. ForMediaPhilosophy,itisnotsimplyaquestionofbringingphilosophytobearonanarea usually considered an object of sociological or historical concern, but of looking at how developmentsinmediaandtechnologyposeprofoundquestionsforphilosophyandconcep- tionsofknowledge,being,intelligence,information,thebody,aesthetics,war,death.Atthe sametime,mediaandphilosophyarenotviewedasreducibletoeachother'sinternalconcerns andconstraintsandthusitisnevermerelyamatterofformulatingaphilosophyofthemedia; rathertheseriescreatesaspaceforthereciprocalcontagionofideasbetweenthedisciplines andthegenerationofnewmutationsfromtheirtransversals.Withtheiraffectscuttingacross creativeprocesses,ethico-aestheticexperimentationsandbiotechnologicalassemblages,the unfoldingmediaeventsofourageprovidedifferentpointsofinterventionforthought,neces- sarilyembeddedaseverinthemediumofitstechnicalsupport,tocontinuallyre-inventitself andtheworld. “Thenewautomatismisworthlessinitselfifitisnotputtotheservice ofapowerful,obscure,condensedwilltoart,aspiringtodeployitself throughinvoluntarymovementswhichnonethelessdonotrestrictit”. EleniIkoniadouandScottWilson TitlesintheSeries SoftwareTheory,byFedericaFrabetti MediaAfterKittler,byEleniIkoniadouandScottWilson CypherpunkPhilosophy,byPaulJ.Ennis Software Theory A Cultural and Philosophical Study Federica Frabetti London•NewYork PublishedbyRowman&LittlefieldInternational,Ltd. UnitA,WhitacreMews,26-34StannaryStreet,LondonSE114AB www.rowmaninternational.com Rowman&LittlefieldInternational,Ltd.isanaffiliateofRowman&Littlefield 4501ForbesBoulevard,Suite200,Lanham,Maryland20706,USA WithadditionalofficesinBoulder,NewYork,Toronto(Canada),andLondon (UK) www.rowman.com Copyright©2015byFedericaFrabetti Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyany electronicormechanicalmeans,includinginformationstorageandretrievalsys- tems,withoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomay quotepassagesinareview. BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationInformationAvailable AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary ISBN:HB978-1-78348-196-5 ISBN:PB978-1-78348-197-2 ISBN:EB978-1-78348-198-9 LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Frabetti,Federica,1966–author. Softwaretheory:aculturalandphilosophicalstudy/FedericaFrabetti. pagescm.—(Mediaphilosophy) Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN978-1-78348-196-5(cloth:alk.paper)—ISBN978-1-78348-197-2(pbk.:alk. paper)—ISBN978-1-78348-198-9(electronic) 1.Softwareengineering—Socialaspects.2.Softwarearchitecture—Socialaspects.I.Title. QA76.758.F7252014 005.1—dc23 2014033084 TMThepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsof AmericanNationalStandardforInformationSciencesPermanenceofPaperfor PrintedLibraryMaterials,ANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992. PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica Contents Acknowledgements vii Introduction ix 1 FromTechnicalToolstoOriginaryTechnicity:The ConceptofTechnologyinWesternPhilosophy 1 2 Language,Writing,andCode:Towardsa DeconstructiveReadingofSoftware 33 3 SoftwareasMaterialInscription:TheBeginningsof SoftwareEngineering 67 4 FromtheCathedraltotheBazaar:Softwareasthe Unexpected 99 5 WritingthePrintedCircuit:ForaGenealogyofCode 129 Conclusions:TheUnforeseenConsequencesofTechnology 167 Bibliography 177 Index 185 v Acknowledgements This book has been inspired by almost fifteen years of ‘writing’ softwareasasoftwareengineerfortelecommunications.Thepeople I wrote software with are too many to be named; nevertheless, I wouldliketothankthemherebecauseIlearntsomuchfromthem whilealsohavingsomuchfun. Theoriginsofthisprojectliewithmytimeasadoctoralstudent at Goldsmiths, University of London, which provided an exciting and stimulating environment for the much more critical question- ingoftechnology.FirstandforemostIamgratefultoJoannaZylins- ka for being an exceptional guide and a demanding interlocutor whileIwasatGoldsmiths,andforremainingamentorandafriend long afterwards. Her work remains for me a model of intellectual andpoliticalengagement.Iwouldalsoliketoexpressmygratitude toallthosewhohavereadvariouspartsofthisbookandimmensely enriched it with their comments and critiques: David Boothroyd, ScottDexter,GaryHall,JanetHarbord,SarahKember,DavidMor- ley, and the late and much missed Mark Poster. I am especially gratefultoGaryHallforproposingSoftwareTheoryasthetitleofthis book and for sharing with me some of his tremendous insights on technology(notleasttheoneabout‘quasi-functioning’software). ManyyearsagoIhadtheprivilegetodiscusstheearlystagesof myprojectwithN.KatherineHaylesataMasterclassorganizedby Rosi Braidotti at the University of Utrecht. Although over time my thought on technology has taken a different direction from Hayles’s, I maintain the greatest admiration for her work and feel fortunate to have remained in dialogue with her throughout the years. I am grateful to my colleagues and students at Oxford Brookes University for providing a lively environment for the dis- cussionofmythoughtsonphilosophyandtechnologyandforsup- portingtherealizationofthisbookthroughvariousresearchgrants. Iamalsoindebtedtoanumberofotheruniversitieswhichhavelent hospitalitytomyideas,includingColumbiaUniversity,NewYork; Brooklyn College, CUNY; Coventry University, and the University ofNaples‘L’Orientale’(Italy).Iamverygratefultotheeditorsand vii viii Acknowledgements reviewers at Rowman & Littlefield International for all their help andsupportwiththisproject. Parts of this book have been published as articles. An earlier versionofChapter1,entitled‘RethinkingtheDigitalHumanitiesin the Context of Originary Technicity’, acted as an opening to the specialissueofCultureMachine,TheDigitalHumanitiesbeyondCom- puting, vol. 12 (2011), which I edited. An early version of two sec- tionsofChapter3and4appearedaspartofanotherarticle,entitled ‘Does It Work? The Unforeseeable Consequences of Quasi-Failing Technology’,CultureMachine(CreativeMedia11[2009],http://www. culturemachine.net). I would like to express my gratitude to family and friends for their support through the years. Thanks to Roberto Camano for providing early help with grammars and compilers. Very special personalthanksgotoLianaBorghiandTizianaIannucci,forchang- ing my life in so many ways and for encouraging me during the earlystageofmyacademiccareer. Finally,allthiswouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouttheuncon- ditionalloveandsupportofCarlaMarzocchi,mymother.Thisbook isdedicatedtoher.
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