The controllability of the Technosphere, an impossible question

Abstract

The notion of ‘technosphere’ has been proposed to refer to the whole of technological infrastructures, stressing the importance of technology in the Anthropocene. Peter K Haff introduced it in the field of Earth System Science a decade ago. His argument entangles the claim of the technosphere’s uncontrollability with an attempt to overcome anthropocentrism. We develop a critical analysis of this proposal, enriched by a literature review. The idea of a ‘technosphere’ has been present in the scientific literature for at least 50 years. We provide an analysis of the evolution of the uses of the ‘technosphere’ before Haff’s publications. Then, we discuss in which ways Haff’s contribution is in continuity or rupture with these older views. Finally, we argue that the technosphere has little relevance when addressing the question of technology controllability and for overcoming anthropocentrism. This leads us to introduce an alternative proposal to the technosphere: ‘technodiversity’.