This commentary introduces the notion of “technical alterity” in order to address the following questions: is it possible that technical objects can become “others” in analogy to Levinas’ ethics and can this relation provide solutions for the subject in the Anthropocene? According to Levinas, the human subject’s only break from having to be itself is in the consumption and enjoyment of things. Objects constitute thus an “other” that can be consumed, i.e., appropriated and be made one’s own. But, in times of the Anthropocene, where the entanglement of human and non-human actors becomes increasingly obvious and intricate, and a question of survival for human beings in the face of the climate crisis, it is necessary to develop a relation with non-human actors that does not reduce them to mere means to an end. This ethical relation with technical objects relies upon an epistemic act, since technical objects precisely do not have a “face” in the Levinasian sense. Technical objects as “technical others” have therefore—in light of Simondon’s philosophy of technology—to be invented.

这篇评论介绍了“技术变更”的概念，以解决以下问题：技术对象是否有可能像列维纳斯的伦理学那样成为“其他”，并且这种关系是否可以为人类世间的主题提供解决方案？列维纳斯认为，人类主体必须成为事物的唯一突破就是对事物的消费和享受。因此，对象构成了一个可以被消费，即被挪用并成为自己的“其他”。但是，在人类世时代，人类和非人类行为者的纠缠变得越来越明显和错综复杂，并且面对气候危机，人类的生存问题，有必要与非人类行为者发展关系。不会将他们归结为仅仅是手段的人类演员。与技术客体的这种道德关系依赖于认知行为，因为技术客体恰恰没有列维纳斯主义意义上的“面孔”。因此，根据西蒙顿的技术哲学，作为“技术他人”的技术对象必须成为发明的。