Maszyna–podmiot–kultura. Debaty wokół postępu technicznego w Niemczech początku XX wieku

Abstract

The main purpose of the article is to investigate the approach of the literature and film of the 1920s to technological progress, in particular, the process of mechanisation and its impact on social and individual life. The analyses of Bertolt Brecht’s poem (700 Intellektuelle beten einen Öltank an) and films of the German Expressionism (Student from Prague, Golem, Metropolis) aim to recapitulate the debates dealing with technological progress and place them within the horizon of the humanities; moreover, they aim to probe their approach to thought, dominated since the 18th century, distinguishing between the concepts of culture and civilization. By applying media theory of human extensions, the article tries to determine their potential of establishing the reality. In the central part of the analysis, the role of intellectuals and artists in the appliance of social life, the machine as a prosthesis and extension of human being, and the machine as a look-alike (Doppelgänger) are discussed.