Foreword: Winter Issue, Jan 2026

In his 1954 essay “The Question Concerning Technology”, Martin Heidegger states that there is a “supreme danger” in our relationship with technology. No, he did not refer to technology’s potential for physical destruction (like nuclear war) or a robot rebellion. Instead, Heidegger believed technology’s threat to us is purely a metaphysical one. Specifically, when technology shapes our view of the world only as resources to be optimized, we eventually view ourselves the same way and lose our humanity. For instance, instead of seeing a river in its essence (a natural, flowing entity), we see it only as a “water power supplier” for a hydroelectric plant. Eventually, we become mere resources ourselves that are ordered, calculated, and demanded like inventory that is available at any time for further ordering (e.g., the concept of “Human Resources”). In other words, we cease to live authentically according to what is meaningful to us in the world.

Of course, Heidegger’s idea of a metaphysical threat to our humanity is just one of many equally conceivable dangers that we may face as technology develops. Like pulling random balls from an urn, we cannot predict if the next innovation will be beneficial, harmful, or catastrophically destructive for the world. So, in the midst of ever-accelerating progress made in fields across AI, biotech, climate tech, and more, we must be able to maximally direct their development and outcomes to be safe, humane, and prosperous for humanity’s future. In founding the Technology Review on this mission, we seek to engage students in serious rumination on technology and produce ideas that inspire real change for the people building them. Our first-ever magazine issue, with original ideas across AI and climate safety, modern culture, philosophy, and developing markets, is a testament to our commitment to realizing this mission. Finally, we hope that more of our peers at the University of Chicago will be inspired by our ideas to think deeply about the future that we will share. With that said, I invite you to flip the page and join our movement.

Editor in Chief, Colin Yuan

22nd January 2026