Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life
Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life – a short, easy-to-understand summary
Albert Borgmann’s book argues that modern technology shapes how we live by a simple pattern he names the device paradigm. Devices—things like appliances, cars, and computers—bring us goods quickly and easily, but they usually do so without the engagement and context that give life meaning. In contrast, “focal things and practices” are activities and objects that center our lives and connect us to others, nature, and into the larger human story.
What the book is about in plain terms
- The device paradigm: We now relate to the world through devices that provide commodities without demanding our active involvement. This can erode the meaningful contexts of everyday life, such as family, work, and community.
- Focal things and practices: These are the centerpieces of a well-lived life. Examples include a hearth, music, table culture, nature, gardening, running, and other activities that require skill, attention, and shared effort. They help keep our humanity connected to what matters.
- The problem technology creates: Science explains the world, but it doesn’t tell us what is worthwhile. Technology extends what we can do, yet it often leaves questions about the good life unanswered. This gap shows up in politics, work, leisure, and democracy.
Two big parts of Borgmann’s argument
1) The consequences of the device paradigm
- Work and leisure: The division of labor turns many tasks into dull, disembodied “labor.” Leisure is pulled into a consumer frame, often centered on screens and commodities rather than meaningful activities.
- The political and social order: Liberal democracy tends to become a system that values equality and choice, but technology shapes our sense of what is good life and can lead to political apathy and social inequalities.
- Everyday life: Advertising, media, and easy access to goods narrow our perception of ends and make us rely on technology to provide happiness, rather than engaging in thoughtful, communal pursuits.
2) The path to reform: focal things and practices
- Reform within vs. reform of the paradigm: Borgmann argues for reforms that restore focal practices and for a deeper, more fundamental shift in how technology is integrated into life.
- Deictic discourse: He promotes a kind of passionate, persuasive talk about the good life that can guide reform, alongside the more objective, scientific explanations typical of academic discussion.
- Building a new center: By reviving focal things (like wilderness, table culture, music, sports, and meaningful crafts), society can regain a sense of engaged life. This doesn’t mean rejecting technology outright but re-centering life around meaningful practices.
- Practical implications: A society focused on focal engagement would value a more intelligent and selective use of technology, redefine the good life around engagement and skill, and strengthen families and communities.
Key ideas in simple terms
- Device vs. focal: Technology offers quick goods through devices, but these often replace richer, context-filled activities. Focal things and practices are the antidote, offering engagement and meaning.
- Democracy and technology: Technology shapes modern life in a way that makes equality and choice easy to achieve, but it also constrains what people think is worth pursuing.
- Work and leisure: Technology can degrade work into meaningless labor and turn leisure into passive consumption. Restoring focal practices can reverse this trend.
- Reform strategy: Focus on cultivating focal activities and a form of discourse that highlights the good life. This helps reassert human values in a highly technological world.
The closing idea
Borgmann’s aim is to recover the promise of technology by balancing it with focal things and practices. He argues for metatechnological thinking—recognizing technology’s limits, using it wisely, and building centers of meaning that can keep people engaged, connected, and truly human.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:20 (CET).