Historisches oder mediales Apriori? Versuch einer terminologischen Rejustierung

This paper deals with the difference between the historical a priori and the media a priori, arguing that, contrary to Friedrich Kittler, the notion of a media-technological a priori cannot substitute the historical a priori. However, conceiving media as conditions for knowledge, thought and opinion, the author argues that the media a priori should be perceived as an existential condition for the mediation between the self, the other and the world. After discussing Foucault's dispositif and referring to recent research on media dispositifs, the paper shows that power, knowledge and media are interrelated and co-dependent. The author finally suggests combining the historical, the media and the strategical a priori into a new, more inclusive concept.