Deficient hearing, implants and devices: qualities and sensory data in perspective

Abstract

The article analyzes human hearing from a philosophical and technical perspective inspired primarily by the work of Gilbert Simondon, articulating organisms, environment, and technology. Hearing is understood not as a simple reception of signals, but as an active process of individuation, in which the organism interprets and gives meaning to sound information according to its vital needs, sensory capacities, and context of existence. The author shows that sound information only acquires value when it becomes meaningful for the organism, which implies practical engagement and integration with other sensory modalities. Language and music are analyzed as forms of domestication of sounds, allowing for the constitution of shared, culturally situated repertoires. Auditory perception thus appears as multimodal, dynamic, and deeply connected to memory, attention, and affectivity. In the technical domain, the article presents a genealogy of hearing aids and cochlear implants, highlighting the shift from acoustic amplification to digital coding. The cochlear implant is described as a radical sensory substitution that imposes on the organism a new mode of functioning based on electrical signals and algorithms for selecting information. Although effective for speech intelligibility, these technologies tend to reduce the richness of auditory experience by privileging the distinction between useful signal and noise. The author criticizes the ideal of total automation of hearing, which ignores the interpretive, affective, and attentional dimensions of auditory experience.