Cyber-Physical Learning and the Dissolution of Place: A Philosophy of Technology Inquiry
Keywords:
Cyber-Physical Systems, Philosophy of Technology, Phygital Learning, Educational Space, Information EthicsAbstract
The rapid integration of cyber-physical systems (CPS) in education challenges the traditional spatial boundaries of the classroom, precipitating what scholars describe as a "dissolution of place." This literature review employs a philosophy of technology framework, drawing on Heidegger's ontology of dwelling, Ihde's postphenomenology, and Floridi's information ethics, to examine the existential and pedagogical implications of this shift. Through a qualitative thematic analysis of contemporary theoretical and empirical scholarship, four primary themes emerge: (1) the ontological shift from bounded geographic spaces to hybrid, networked informational territories; (2) the phenomenological reconfiguration of embodiment, where physical absence does not equate to disembodiment but requires new modes of mediated presence; (3) the epistemological friction generated by "radical situational plasticity," which challenges situated cognition and shared knowledge validation; and (4) the sociopolitical risks associated with surveillance panopticons and spatial inequality. The review concludes that while the physical locus of the university may dissolve, the existential necessity of a pedagogical "place" persists. Addressing this requires abandoning deficit models of digital learning in favor of intentional, ethically grounded designs for "phygital" education that protect the university's historical function as a sanctuary for inquiry.
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