Media and Organs

Abstract The idea that technical objects result from the projection of organs or, more generally, the extension of the human body, has been central to media theory since Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980). From the perspective of recent history of science, this paper argues that this idea cannot exclusively be traced back to Ernst Kapp’s (1808–1896) philosophy of technology, as is often assumed in media studies and related fields. Rather, it should be understood as a manifestation of a discourse that goes back much further, which understands scientific instruments—prototypically telescopes and microscopes—as “external,” “artificial” or simply “new organs” with which the “internal” and “natural,” i.e. the already existing sensory organs of humans are “supplemented” and/or “enhanced” in order to “extend” human cognition and knowledge. This discourse is traced back via the physiologist Claude Bernard (1813–1878), the sociologist Herbert Spencer (1820–1903) and the naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) to Robert Hooke (1635–1703) and René Descartes (1596–1650). On this basis, the topicality of a historically oriented and theoretically reflected “organology” is discussed, which critically examines the ways in which media and instruments contribute to extending human knowledge.