[Article] Low-tech's philosophy

2023/11/01 - Our definition of low-tech's philosophy.

1. Introduction to low-tech

It is often defined by the triptych: Useful / Sustainable / Accessible popularized by the Low-tech Lab¹. The term low-tech was introduced by engineer Philippe Bihouix. In his book L’âge des low-tech², he constructs the notion of démarche low-tech (the term low-tech is often used to describe an approach, not a product) to propose a technological direction for the necessary energy and material descent of our society, which he takes care to explain and justify.

However, the exercise of defining low-tech remains highly complex, since many different, even opposing, identities claim to be low-tech, and many others, who share a good number of values in common with low-tech, don’t use the term to explain their commitments.

Low-tech is gradually becoming a catch-all, a catch-all word that tends to encompass everything that differs from the classic technological direction (i.e., ever more complex, imposing, connected, energy-consuming and resourceful objects). While this drift is debatable, it in no way detracts from what, in our view, is the primary interest of low-tech:

The low-tech approach abolishes the implicit consent to political and philosophical passivity to which the engineering and technical professions of the 21st century (and before us, the 20th) are subject. The low-tech approach critically questions the social, ethical and political motivations and implications of technology. The low-tech approach leads us to clearly identify our convictions and determine how our technical activity serves our vision of a desirable society, or whether, on the contrary, our technical activity contributes to the problem. In other words, the low-tech approach returns technology to man.

The reflections we have had during our training studies on low-tech have led us to express the convictions that, in our view, define our vision of low-tech.

2. Our definition of low-tech !

A political standing : to make sense

The low-tech philosophy offers a complementary alternative to the current technological direction of our society. It proposes a viable and desirable alternative. It aims to promote a way of life centered on the human being, a way of life that is more sober, more sustainable and more convivial. This questioning approach requires us to rethink our relationship with technology with a certain discernment, and to reappropriate our lifestyles. This gives the engineer a deeper meaning in the transition of our societal models.

Emancipating technologies: break dependencies

At a time when engineers are leaving school without knowing how to build a chair by themselves (I’m hardly exaggerating), it’s time to become aware of our technological dependencies. Low-tech is an invitation to regain power over certain convivial and gratifying aspects where technology has erased the human (for example, the satisfaction of creating a useful object, or repairing or modifying it). Low-tech seeks a compromise between technical complexity (which tends to distinguish an elite body from the rest of the population) and technical simplicity (to be technically and financially accessible).

Low-tech enables the technical emancipation of as many people as possible. We speak of appropriation when users understand how the technical artefact works, and are thus able to adapt it to their changing needs.

Localized technologies: control impacts

Taking as its primary axiom innovation under constraint, in order to respect both planetary limits and local issues, low-tech acts on a territory, for this territory. Created ecologically and to last over time, low-tech solutions are adapted to the ecosystems in which they will evolve, since they respond directly to the needs expressed there. This approach is accompanied by a systemic point of view that seeks to visualize and reduce negative externalities (impact transfers³, rebound effects, indirect negative consequences…) to promote positive radiations. Ecodesign, design for sustainability⁴ and life-cycle analysis play an important role in low-tech thinking, as they enable us to better understand and control impacts.

A few ressources ?

La low-tech: vers des technologies sobres et résilientes ?

ADEME: Démarche low-tech

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