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The purpose of this book is to give a coherent account of the different perspectives on science andtechnology that are normally studied under various disciplinary heads such as philosophy of science, sociology of science and science policy. It is intended for students embarking on courses in these subjects and assumes no special knowledge of any science. It is written in a direct and simple style, and technical language is introduced very sparingly. As various perspectives are sketched out in (...) this book, the reader moves towards a consistent conception of contemporary science as a rapidly changingsocial institution that has already grown out of its traditional forms and plays a central role in society at large. It will appeal to students in a wide range of scientific disciplines and complement well Professor Ziman's earlier books. (shrink)

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In this review, I analyse how ‘behaviour-based personalisation’ in insurance – that is, insurers’ increased interest in tracking and manipulating insureds’ behaviour with, for instance, wearable devices – has been approached in recentsocial scientific literature. In the review, I focus on two streams of literature, critical data studies and the sociology of insurance, discussing the new insurance schemes that utilise sensor-generated and digital data. The aim of this review is to compare these two approaches and to analyse what (...) kinds of understandings, methodologies and theoretical perspectives they apply to so-called ‘behaviour-based insurance’. The critical data studies literature emphasises the exploitativeaspects of these new technologies and mobilises behaviour-based insurance to exemplify the negative outcomes of digital health. Scholars from the field of the sociology of insurance empirically analyse the practices of behavioural-based personalisation and study how regulating and ‘doing’ insurance affect attempts to personalise it. I highlight the importance of approaching insurance as a specific financialtechnology and argue that more research is needed to understand the practices of developing behaviour-based insurance schemes and the insureds’ experiences. (shrink)

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Symptom Checker Applications (SCA) are mobile applications often designed for the end-user to assist with symptom assessment and self-triage. SCA are meant to provide the user with easily accessible information about their own health conditions. However, SCA raise questions regarding ethical, legal, andsocialaspects (ELSA), for example, regarding fair access to this newtechnology. The aim of this scoping review is to identify the ELSA of SCA in the scientific literature. A scoping review was conducted to (...) identify the ELSA of SCA. Ten databases (e.g., Web of Science and PubMed) were used. Studies on SCA that address ELSA, written in English or German, were included in the review. The ELSA of SCA were extracted and synthesized using qualitative content analysis. A total of 25,061 references were identified, of which 39 were included in the analysis. The identifiedaspects were allotted to three main categories: (1)Technology; (2) Individual Level; and (3) Healthcare system. The results show that there are controversial debates in the literature on the ethical andsocial challenges of SCA usage. Furthermore, the debates are characterised by a lack of a specific legal perspective and empirical data. The review provides an overview on the spectrum of ELSA regarding SCA. It offers guidance to stakeholders in the healthcare system, for example, patients, healthcare professionals, and insurance providers and could be used in future empirical research to investigate the perspectives of those affected, such as users. (shrink)

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Nanotechnology is an important platformtechnology which will add new features like improved biocompatibility, smaller size, and more sophisticated electronics to neuro-implants improving their therapeutic potential. Especially in view of possible advantages for patients, research and development of nanotechnologically improved neuro implants is a moral obligation. However, the development of brain implants by itself touches many ethical,social and legal issues, which also apply in a specific way to devices enabled or improved by nanotechnology. For researchers developing nanotechnology (...) such issues are rather distant from their daily work in the lab, but as soon as they use their materials or devices in medical applications such as therapy of brain diseases they have to be aware of and deal with them. This paper is intended to raise sensitivity for the ethical, legal andsocialaspects (ELSA) involved in applying nanotechnology in brain implants or other devices by highlighting the short term problems of testing and clinical trials within the existing regulatory frameworks (A), the short and medium-term questions of risks in the application of the devices (B) and the long-term perspectives related to problems of enhancement (C). To identify and address such issues properly nanotechnologists should involve ethical, legal andsocial experts and regulatory bodies in their research as early as possible. This will help to remove pressure from regulatory bodies, to settle public concern and to prevent non-acceptable developments for the benefit of the patients. (shrink)

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The argument that cumulative technological culture originates in technical-reasoning skills is not the only alternative tosocial accounts; another possibility is that accumulation ofbothtechnical-reasoning skillsandenhancedsocial skills stemmed from the onset of a more basic cognitive ability such as recursive representational redescription. The paper confuses individual learning of pre-existing information with creative generation of new information.

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Technology is an increasingly important dimension ofsocial life. This title discusses the impact oftechnology and science on our lives, exploring how power is demonstrated and reinforced by technological innovation.

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The interdisciplinary field of neurorobotics looks to neuroscience to overcome the limitations of modern roboticstechnology, to robotics to advance our understanding of the neural system’s inner workings, and to informationtechnology to develop tools that support those complementary endeavours. The development of these technologies is still at an early stage, which makes them an ideal candidate for proactive and anticipatory ethical reflection. This article explains the current state of neurorobotics development within the Human Brain Project, originating from (...) a close collaboration between the scientific and technical experts who drive neurorobotics innovation, and the humanities andsocial sciences scholars who provide contextualising and reflective capabilities. This article discusses some of the ethical issues which can reasonably be expected. On this basis, the article explores possible gaps identified within this collaborative, ethical reflection that calls for attention to ensure that the development of neurorobotics is ethically sound and socially acceptable and desirable. (shrink)

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Technology and Ethics. A European Quest for Responsible Engineering, edited by B. Heriard Dubreuil and his team (University Lille) is in many regards an innovative publication. It is the first fully European contribution to the field of engineering ethics and the result of an intensive cooperation between ethicists and engineers from all the member countries of the European Union. The basic structure of the book is both the distinction and interaction between three levels of analysis: personal responsibility of engineers, (...) the institutional level (business organisations) and the impact oftechnology on society and culture. On the personal level, the book deals with problems such as the role of professional codes and the fact that engineers must cope with flexibility, shorter lines of decision and erosion of the boundaries between private and professional life. On the meso level, the book deals with differentaspects of decision making in the context of business organizations, such as quality management,technology assessment procedures, business ethics committees etc... On the macro level, the authors focus on the power oftechnology. Together with the influences from othersocial, economic and political actors, the decisions of engineers change the world in a way which is of moral significance. (shrink)

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The book presents a new conceptual framework and a set of research principles with which to study and interprettechnology from a phenomenological perspective.

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The interrelations of science andtechnology as an object of study seem to have drawn the attention of a number of disciplines: the history of both science andtechnology, sociology, economics and economic history, and even the philosophy of science. The question that comes to mind is whether the phenomenon itself is new or if advances in the disciplines involved account for this novel interest, or, in fact, if both are intercon nected. When the editors set out to (...) plan this volume, their more or less explicit conviction was that the relationship of science andtechnology did reveal a new configuration and that the disciplines concerned with 1tS analysis failed at least in part to deal with the change because of conceptual and methodological preconceptions. To say this does not imply a verdict on the insufficiency of one and the superiority of any other one disciplinary approach. Rather, the situation is much more complex. In economics, for example, the interest in the relationship between science andtechnology is deeply influenced by the theoretical problem of accounting for the factors of economic growth. The primary concern is withtechnology and the problem is whether the market induces technological advances or whether they induce new demands that explain the subsequent diffusion of new technologies. Science is generally considered to be an exogenous factor not directly subject to market forces and, therefore, appears to be of no interest. (shrink)

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Technology, in its current usage, can most simply be understood to have three components: artifacts, practices, and knowledge. Artifacts are the material objects that exist in the world. Practices are the methods and techniques used to interact with artifacts and knowledge represents the underlying theoretical and conceptual paradigms that influencetechnology in different cultural contexts. Using these components as the framework, this four volume major work traces the intellectual, scholarly, and public evolution oftechnology studies and ultimately (...) questions whether technologies are truly autonomous within the societies they inhabit and whether or not technological changes drivesocial changes. Rayvon David Fouché presents the evolving conceptualizations oftechnology to understand the ways in whichtechnology has shaped global society.Technology Studies is part of the ‘Key Issues for the 21st Century’ series published by SAGE which brings together collections on those critical issues that will shape our future. This four-volume set covers: Volume 1: ConceptualizingTechnology Volume 2: Theorizing Technological Change Volume 3: Politics ofTechnology Volume 4:Technology and Culture. (shrink)

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This 15th volume in the series covers such topics as technological frames in a town planning controversy, geometric constructions and the constructions of geometry, and money,technology and the tragedy of culture in the thought of George Simmel.

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La scalabilità è una proprietà desiderabile di sistemi informatici associata a metriche di performance. Più precisamente, un sistema è definito scalabile quando riesce a gestire, senza calo di prestazioni, un numero crescente di elementi, processi, quantità di lavoro e/o quando può essere espanso a piacimento. Progettare un sistema scalabile garantisce un’ottimizzazione dei costi e delle prestazioni, e della produttività di un’azienda. Questi scopi sono stati perseguiti, dagli anni Ottanta, attraverso numerosi studi sulla scalabilità, che sono stati sviluppati in un ambito (...) esclusivamente tecnologico. Tuttavia, negli ultimi anni è sorto il bisogno di estendere la tradizionale prospettiva tecnologica della scalabilità perché troppo limitata considerata al di fuori delle organizzazioni e applicata alle situazioni di uso quotidiano delle nuove tecnologie. Per esempio, le rubriche dei telefonini sono tecnicamente scalabili: grazie alla funzione di ricerca, essi offrono un accesso immediato alle informazioni indipendentemente dal numero dei contatti memorizzati. Inoltre, il supporto di memorie digitali esterne molto capienti permette di inserire un numero pressoché illimitato di contatti. Le versioni più avanzate delle rubriche degli smartphones sono integrate anche con isocial network come Facebook. Dal punto di vista cognitivo, negli utenti si crea un’illusione di essere in grado di gestire efficacemente reti sociali sempre più estese e ricche di contenuti. In realtà, vari studi hanno dimostrato che esistono dei limiti alla gestione di relazioni sociali rilevanti, quali il famoso numero di Dunbar. Pertanto, la prospettiva tecnologica sulla scalabilità è limitata nel senso che essa riesce a descrivere solo la performance di un sistema informatico, ma non ne spiega l’impatto su performance cognitiva e sociale. Un approccio alternativo potrebbe essere basato sul presupposto che la scalabilità è una proprietà importante non solo per computer e reti informatiche, ma anche per esseri umani e reti sociali. La comprensione della correlazione fra scalabilità tecnologica e umana, renderebbe possibile migliorare il design delle tecnologie per uso quotidiano. Per esempio, le rubriche dei telefonini, come anche i siti disocial network, potrebbero ottimizzare l’accesso ai contenuti in base al significato delle relazioni sociali e della situazione nella quale sono considerate. Si può ipotizzare che la comprensione della scalabilità, sia umana sia tecnologica, possa permettere di migliorare la performance dell’azione individuale e/o collettiva. Socionics, un programma interdisciplinare di ricerca che integra sociologica e informatica, offre la possibilità di estendere la definizione di scalabilità anche ai sistemi sociali. Al contrario della prospettiva tradizionale della scalabilità, che è incentrata sull’aspetto quantitativo, Socionics pone al centro dell’analisi il problema da risolvere, che è analizzato sia dal punto di vista quantitativo sia da quello qualitativo . Grazie a Socionics, nell’articolo sono introdotti i concetti di scalabilità cognitiva e scalabilità sociale, che descrivono la capacità di gestire elegantemente a livello individuale o collettivo quantità crescenti di lavoro, e/o adattarsi alla loro complessità crescente. Il processo di valutazione della scalabilità cognitiva e sociale di un problema si compone di tre fasi: la prima riguarda la definizione del contesto dell’attività a cui il problema è associato. Questo richiede di specificare gli attori coinvolti, le risorse disponibili e i compiti che essi stanno svolgendo, individualmente o in gruppo. La seconda fase si propone di identificare i bisogni legati al contesto, che servono a capire in che misura il sistema è riuscito a soddisfare il bisogno, ovvero a misurare la performance. Nella terza e ultima fase si considera la funzione delle ICT nella risoluzione del problema, al fine di capire se le ICT abbiano alleviato, accentuato o rimosso eventuali limitazioni cognitive e/o sociali. Lo stesso problema è scalabile da un punto di vista cognitivo e/o sociale se esso è risolto in modo efficace al variare dei suoi elementi quantitativi e qualitativi. Per una prima valutazione dell’approccio, è discusso il problema della coordinazione sociale tramite telefonini, che non è ridotto semplicemente al numero di persone che i telefonini riescono a mobilizzare, ma anche alla qualità e impatto della loro performance. In conclusione, i concetti di scalabilità cognitiva e sociale offrono l’opportunità di informare la progettazione e favorire l’adozione di ICT grazie alla comprensione di come gli aspetti di scalabilità tecnologica influiscano sulla performance individuale e collettiva, e viceversa.Scalability has been for long time presented as a desirable property of a networked computer system associated to measure of its performance. As information and communication technologies become ubiquitous, a need of describing scalability also from a human perspective has emerged. Indeed, technical scalability only describes the performance of a computer system, but it does not explain anything about its impact on cognitive andsocial performance. Without acknowledging that technical scalability does not imply human scalability, there is the risk of not realizing the full potential of ICT in the everyday life. By adopting the Socionics approach, we extend the technical view of scalability with two additional concepts, namely cognitive andsocial scalability. These concepts describe the capacity to process individually or collectively growing volumes of work gracefully, and/or to adjust to their increasing complexity. The notion ofsocial scalability is then evaluated in the activity-context ofsocial coordination through mobile devices. We conclude that by improving our understanding of scalability issues, we may positively inform the design and use of ICT not only from the viewpoint of technical performance, but also for that of individual and collective performance. (shrink)

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This book presents a careful blend of conceptual, theoretical and applied research in regards to the relationship betweentechnology and humans, exploring the importance of these interactions,aspects related with trust, communication, data protection, usability concerning organizational change, and e-learning"--Provided by publisher.

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This collection of essays represents the work of fifteen scholars in four disciplines: philosophy, theology, sociology, and cultural studies. It offers an interdisciplinary reflection on the role and impact oftechnology in society, focusing on the i.

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Technologies shape who we are, how we organize our societies and how we relate to nature. For example,social media challenges democracy; artificial intelligence raises the question of what is unique to humans; and the possibility to create artificial wombs may affect notions of motherhood and birth. Some have suggested that we address global warming by engineering the climate, but how does this impact our responsibility to future generations and our relation to nature? This book shows how technologies can (...) be socially and conceptually disruptive and investigates how to come to terms with this disruptive potential. Four technologies are studied:social media,social robots, climate engineering and artificial wombs. The authors highlight the disruptive potential of these technologies, and the new questions this raises. The book also discusses responses to conceptual disruption, like conceptual engineering, the deliberate revision of concepts. (shrink)

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Although the use of new health technologies in healthcare and medicine is generally seen as beneficial, there has been little analysis of the impact of such technologies on people's lives and understandings of health and illness. This book explores how new technologies not only provide hope for cure and well-being, but also introduce new ethical dilemmas and raise questions about the "natural" body. Focusing on the ways new health technologies intervene into our lives and affect our ideas about normalcy, the (...) body and identity, New Health Technologies explores: how new health technologies are understood by lay people and patients how the outcomes of these technologies are communicated in various clinical settings how these technologies can alter our notions of health and illness and create "new illness." Written by authors with differing backgrounds in phenomenology,social psychology,social anthropology, communication studies and the nursing sciences, this book is essential reading for students andacademics of medical sociology, health and allied studies, and anyone with an interest in new health technologies. (shrink)

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The Internet age has seen the influential rise ofsocial media. Consumer culture is tied to this modern phenomenon. This paper begins with an exposition of Herbert Marcuse’s grounding in phenomenology and his subsequent critique of Heidegger’s apolitical Dasein. In explicating Marcuse’s critical theory oftechnology, this paper will retrace Hegel’s influence on Marcuse in the idea of the dialectic. The dialectic is an integral aspect ofsocial transformation. While moderntechnology may be value-neutral, it is (...) argued herein that the lack of depth insocial media provokes thought and invites critical dissent. Marcuse believes in the capacity of modern tools to effectsocial reform through adaptation. But emerging pathologies from onlinetechnology also have pressing challenges. For instance,social media makes manifest a dominant order that can be manipulative. It can be said that particular interests, notably from business and capitalists, shape the type of consumer culture that onlinetechnology promotes. In advancing Marcuse’s relevance in today’s Internet age, the paper will explore howsocial media as a platform can truly liberate the individual from the ills that consumerism peddles online. (shrink)

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Thoroughly revised, this new edition of Critical Theory ofTechnology rethinks the relationships betweentechnology, rationality, and democracy, arguing that the degradation of labor--as well as of many environmental, educational, and political systems--is rooted in thesocial values that preside over technological development. It contains materials on political theory, but the emphasis has shifted to reflect a growing interest in the fields oftechnology and cultural studies.

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The term dual use technologies refers to research andtechnology with the potential both to yield valuable scientific knowledge and to be used for nefarious purposes with serious consequences for public health or the environment. There are two main approaches to assessing dual use technologies: pragmatic and metaphysical. A pragmatic approach relies on ethical principles and norms to generate specific guidance and policy for dual use technologies. A metaphysical approach exhorts us to the deeper study of human nature, our (...) intentions, goals, values ideals andsocial relations when considering dual usetechnology. Use of science andtechnology (S and T) is determined by two components of human nature: human intentions and choices. We have drawn a distinction between specific measures, goals and intentions with respect to technologies in order to show that moral judgment about technologies must precede their use. Understanding of our intentionality and values, and our moral ideals, as a measurable, tangible part of the real world is important for the prevention of any possible harm from S and T. In the context of dual use technologies, we stress the importance of three main understandings of human nature: vulnerability, responsibility and narrative identity. These can become a strong ontological “antidote” totechnology’s poisoning of modern man. Each newtechnology can be measured and compared with man’s values, traditions and societal norms. This can be done bearing in mind the concept that human nature is not dualistic, but pluralistic. A system of ethical principles that includes the principles of good intentions, the correspondence of goals and means, the balancing of risks and benefits, simplicity, and contextuality, will help ensure that technologies are more humanistic and friendly to human beings. (shrink)

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Equipping readers with an understanding of science andtechnology asaspects of culture, the book encourages them to think about the roles and effects of ...

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This paper proposes a specific approach to understanding the nature oftechnology that encompasses the entire field of technological praxis, from the making of primitive tools to using the Internet. In that approach,technology is a specific form of human agency that yields to (an imperfect) realization of human control over a technological situation—that is, a situation not governed to an end by natural constraints but by specific human aims. The components of such technological situations are a given (...) collection of natural or artificial beings, humans, human aims, and situation-bound tools. By performing technological situation analysis, the essential form of tool making, the complex system of relationships between science andtechnology, technological practices with and without machines, the finiteness or imperfectness of anytechnology, and engineering (i.e., the possibility of the creation of technological situations) can be considered. For a better characterization of the approach totechnology, the paper also presents a comparison of other philosophies oftechnology. Following Feenberg’s comparative analysis, the so-called fundamental question of the philosophy oftechnology is formulated, its two sides are identified, and it is applied for clarification of our position within philosophy oftechnology. In our approach, all human praxis can be considered to be technological; more precisely, every human activity has a technological aspect or dimension. (shrink)

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This important collection of essays by Andrew Feenberg presents his critical theory oftechnology, an innovative approach to philosophy and sociology oftechnology based on a synthesis of ideas drawn from STS and Frankfurt School Critical Theory. The volume includes chapters on citizenship, modernity, and Heidegger and Marcuse.

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Raising awareness of the environmental impact of energy generation and consumption has been a recent concern of contemporary society worldwide. Underlying the awareness of energy consumption is an intricate network of perception andsocial interaction that can be mediated bytechnology. In this paper we argue that issues regarding energy, environment andtechnology are very much situated and involve tensions of sociocultural nature. This exploratory investigation addresses the subject by introducing the design of a Socially-inspired Energy Eco-Feedback (...)Technology, which is composed of an interactive system to trigger and mediate collective savings and a tangible device as a public feedback. Results of an evaluation situated in the context of a school in a socially disadvantaged area in Brazil are discussed, shedding light on the socioculturalaspects related to the subject. The role of the SEET to motivate energy awareness collectively among thesocial group is assessed, as well as the design characteristics that contributed to that. Outcomes bring to lightsocialaspects and dynamics that would hardly have been predicted, evidencing critical factors related to a socially inspired design approach in the energy awareness domain. (shrink)

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A brain-computer interfacetechnology that can decode the neural signals associated with attempted but unarticulated speech could offer a future efficient means of communication for people with severe motor impairments. Recent demonstrations have validated this approach. Here we assume that it will be possible in future to decode imagined (i.e., attempted but unarticulated) speech in people with severe motor impairments, and we consider the characteristics that could maximize thesocial utility of a BCI for communication. As a (...) class='Hi'>social interaction, communication involves the needs and goals of both speaker and listener, particularly in contexts that have significant potential consequences. We explore three high-consequence legal situations in which neurally-decoded speech could have implications:Testimony, where decoded speech is used as evidence;Consent and Capacity, where it may be used as a means of agency and participation such as consent to medical treatment; andHarm, where such communications may be networked or may cause harm to others. We then illustrate how design choices might impact thesocial and legal acceptability of these technologies. (shrink)

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Recent history makes clear that the quantum leaps being made intechnology are the leading edge of a groundswell of paradigm shifts taking place in science, politics, economics,social institutions, and the expression of cultural values. Indeed it is the simultaneity and interdependence of these changes occurring in every dimension of human experience and endeavor that makes the present so historically distinctive. The essays gathered here give voice to perspectives on the always improvised relationship betweentechnology and (...) cultural values from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Pacific. Contributors: Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas, Roger T. Ames,Yoko Arisaka, Carl Becker, Francesca Bray, James Buchanan, Arindam Chakrabarti, Frank W. Derringh, Rolf Elberfeld, Charles Ess, Andrew Feenberg, Susantha Goonatilake, H. Jiuan Heng, Peter Hershock, Thomas P. Kasulis, George Khushf, David Farrell Krell, Joel J. Kupperman, William R. LaFleur, Lois Ann Lorentzen, David Loy, Joseph Margolis, Hans-Georg Möller, Robert Cummings Neville, Peimin Ni, Monica Atieno Opole, Kuruvilla Pandikattu SJ, Helen Petrovsky, Ramon Sentmartí, Kristin Shrader-Frechette, Vasanthi Srinivasan, Marietta Stepaniants, Vyacheslav S. Stiopin, Henk ten Have, Paul B.Thompson, Mary Tiles, David B.Wong. (shrink)

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How did we end up here, masters of scientific insight, purveyors of ever more powerful technologies, astride the burning planet that created us, and now responsible for cleaning up the mess and determining the future direction of all of life? And what do we do about it?Technology is Dead attempts to answer both of those questions. It is a book of both challenge and hope, written for those who are able or willing to lead us out of our (...) global predicament. It is for the politicians, CEOs, community leaders, everyday parents and young people who understand that we must change our ways to ensure a sustainable future for all living things and the planet we rely on. The book's premise is thattechnology (like capitalism) has been an unprecedented force for prosperity, while at the same time bringing unrelenting, and unplanned downsides.Technology has insinuated itself into every nook and cranny of modern society, ignoring many of our human truths while preying on our vulnerabilities. It has resulted in both profound economic progress and a multitude of troubling unintended consequences, from deepening divides and loss of collective responsibility to a growing list of existential threats. The only viable response is to reconnect with our collaborative roots and undertake what the authors call a humanist revolution, a global effort to redefine human progress, rebuild our core systems to contribute to that progress, and reset our all too human behaviors and aspirations, while becoming the active, careful human-first stewards oftechnology itself. The revolution, guided by what the authors call a 21st Century Humanist Code asks all of us to work towards the world we want to live in - for each and every human to become the center and source of change in their lives, in their communities and the world beyond. The future of humankind and our planet depends on it. (shrink)

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The essays gathered here give voice to perspectives on the always improvised relationship betweentechnology and cultural values from Africa, the Americas, Asia ...

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Science andTechnology Studies has attained a strong international profile in recent decades. Science Studies incorporates work in the History and Philosophy of Science, but emphasizes thesocial, cultural, and political implications of developments in the natural sciences, mathematics, engineering, and medicine. The Sociology of Science remains a vital part of Science Studies, but many other key contributors in the field identify more strongly with core disciplines such as Anthropology, Political Science, and Communication Studies. Edited by a leading (...) scholar in the field, this new four-volume collection from Routledge brings together classic work and the very best contemporary and cutting-edge scholarship. It provides researchersâe"and advanced studentsâe"with easy access to the key items of scholarly literature, material that is otherwise inaccessible or scattered throughout a variety of specialist journals and books. In particular, the collection enables users to gain a deep understanding of the current controversies surrounding science. The materials gathered exemplify important arguments, empirical studies, perspectives, and controversies (such as âe~the science warsâe(tm) of the 1990s). The collection also includes a full index, together with a comprehensive introduction, newly written by the editor, which places the collected material in its historical and intellectual context. Science andTechnology Studies is an essential work of reference and will be welcomed as a vital one-stop research and pedagogic resource. (shrink)

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A collection of previously published articles and essays.

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_Humanesis_ critically examines central strains of posthumanism, searching out biases in the ways that human–technology coupling is explained. Specifically, it interrogates three approaches taken by posthumanist discourse: scientific, humanist, and organismic. David Cecchetto’s investigations reveal how each perspective continues to hold on to elements of the humanist tradition that it is ostensibly mobilized against. His study frontally desublimates the previously unseen presumptions that underlie each of the three thought lines and offers incisive appraisals of the work of three prominent (...) thinkers: Ollivier Dyens, Katherine Hayles, and Mark Hansen. To materially ground the problematic of posthumanism, _Humanesis_ interweaves its theoretical chapters with discussions of artworks. These highlight the topos of sound, demonstrating how aurality might produce new insights in a field that has been dominated by visualization. Cecchetto, a media artist, scrutinizes his own collaborative artistic practice in which he elucidates the variegated causal chains that compose human–technological coupling. _Humanesis_ advances the posthumanist conversation in several important ways. It proposes the term “technological posthumanism” to focus on the discourse as it relates totechnology without neglecting its other disciplinary histories. It suggests that deconstruction remains relevant to the enterprise, especially with respect to the performative dimension of language. It analyzes artworks not yet considered in the light of posthumanism, with a particular emphasis on the role of aurality. And the form of the text introduces a reflexive component that exemplifies how the dialogue of posthumanism might progress without resorting to the types of unilateral narratives that the book critiques. (shrink)

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Science,Technology and Production in the Underdeveloped Countries: An Introduction By Charles Cooper* The uncritical notion that it would be easy to orient ...

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The ArgumentThe impressive growth of the Swiss electricity supply industry in the late nineteenth cestury has usually been explained by Switzerland's abundant waterpower resouces, its well-equipped financial markets, and the mechanical skills of its Swiss workers and engineers. This article does not aim to deny the importance of these factors. Rather it seeks to explain how they developed synergetic effects and how they were knit together. The argument is put forward in three steps: First, I show the importance of the (...) newtechnology's discursive integration, arguing that the development of specialized electric discourse led to asocial shaping oftechnology that was highly compatible with generalized cultural patterns of late nineteenth-century Swiss society. The expressive dispositions and instituted means of expression that constitiute the elextric discourse were constantly pursuing and achieving effective resonances in other discursive fields. This allowed for a solid integration of the electrotechnical discourse in late nineteenth-century Swiss society.Second, I argue that electrotechnology was modeled in such a way that it became coupled with existing technological practices, such as the national mapping endeavor, the urban gas and water supply, the sewer system, and the telegraphic networks. It is noteworthy that making electrotechnology compatible with other technological practices led not only to similar patterns in the design and management of both the old and the new technologies but also to operated with the existing water supply station.Using the example of the electrification of Zurich, I then, in a third step, combine the two elements – discursive accommodation and practical assimilation – to demonstrate their effects on the selection and construction oftechnology. The article's somewhat complex argumentative strategy allows for a differentiated interpretation of the phenomenon and shows the importance of taking into consideration the sociocultural dimension of economic growth that had its roots in the diffusion of a newtechnology. (shrink)

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Infinite scroll as a digitaltechnology feature was introduced in 2006 and instantly gained momentum in a variety of platforms. The efficient and engagingtechnology experience brought by infinite scroll aligns well with the French sociologist Jacques Ellul’s concept of technique. Ellul does not perceive technique astechnology, instead, he views it as a phenomenon of efficiency, permeating the societal, political and economic fields of human activity. By applying the characteristics of Ellul’s technique to the infinite scroll (...) feature withinsocial media, this paper uncovers insights into how it aligns with Ellul’s concept. In such a way, the Ellulian perspective allows an understanding of infinite scroll as part of a broader sociotechnical phenomenon. The article does not aim to spread a negative approach towardstechnology but rather to provide another perspective upon which digitaltechnology might be analysed. (shrink)

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Science,Technology and Society: A Sociological Approach is a comprehensive guide to the emergent field of science,technology, and society (STS) studies and its implications for today’s culture and society. Discusses current STS topics, research tools, and theories Tackles some of the most urgent issues in current STS studies, including power and culture, race, gender, colonialism, the Internet, cyborgs and robots, and biotechnology Includes case studies, a glossary, and further reading lists.

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In this thought provoking work Thomas DeGregori presents the uncommon premise thattechnology is a human endeavour and a positive force that defines our humanity. Examining a number of revolutionary technological advances in this century, especially those in the agricultural areas, the author debunks common conventional wisdom that would dictate otherwise. For instance, the use of chemicals, including DDT and other pesticides, id often maligned as damaging the environment and the quality of life. Dr DeGregori counters this argument with (...) documentation that demonstrates how use of these chemicals has actually increased life span. Agriculture and ModernTechnology will prompt readers to re-examine current popular belief intechnology. (shrink)

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