The Concealment of Meaning — On Husserl’s Triple Critique of Mathematical Technization, Mathematization as Technology, and the Technization of Natural Sciences

In an era marked by the increasing proliferation of technology and frequent technological crises, Husserl’s critique of the technization of modern European science is of great significance for understanding the essence of technology. Although he did not explicitly propose a definition of technology, he clearly delineated the differences between technological phenomena and scientific meaning, distinguished science from technology, and discussed the interactive relationship between them. He conducted a triple critique of mathematical technization, mathematization as technology, and the technization of natural sciences, pointing out that modern science has degenerated into technology, issuing a prophetic warning against the crisis caused by this transformation, and proposing a countermeasure to resist technological erosion and retrieve the primordial meaning of science by returning to the everyday lifeworld. This critique, however, does not imply that Husserl was opposed to technology as such. He understands that the formation of mathematical science results from a technological impetus. Therefore, an analysis of Husserl’s thoughts on technological critique is conducive to understanding the technological essence of modern science and clarifying the relationship between science and technology. It also shows how strongly Husserl’s phenomenology is committed to the tradition of rationalism and, as such, can function as a technical countermeasure to the technization and crisis of science.