Technological change is often seen as something that follows its own logic -- something we may welcome, or about which we may protest, but which we are unable to alter fundamentally. This reader challenges that assumption and its distinguished contributors demonstrate that technology is affected at a fundamental level by the social context in which it develops. General arguments are introduced about the relation of technology to society and different types of technology are examined: the technology of production: domestic and (...) reproductive technology; and military technology. The book draws on authors from Karl Marx to Cynthia Cockburn to show that production technology is shaped by social relations in the workplace. It moves on to the technologies of the household and biological reproduction, which are topics that male-dominated social science has tended to ignore or trivialise -- though these are actually of crucial significance where powerful shaping factors are at work, normally unnoticed. The final section asks what shapes the most frightening technology of all -- the technology of weaponry, especially nuclear weapons. The editors argue that social scientists have devoted disproportionate attention to the effects of technology on society, and tended to ignore the more fundamental question of what shapes technology in the first place. They have drawn both on established work in the history and sociology of technology and on newer feminist perspectives to show just how important and fruitful it is to try to answer that deeper question. The first edition of this reader, published in 1985, had a considerable influence on thinking about the relationship between technology andsociety. This second edition has been thoroughly revised and expanded to take into account new research and the emergence of new theoretical perspectives. (shrink)

Discusses the ethical implications of modern technology and examines the responsibility of humanity for the fate of the world.

Thomas S. Kuhn's classic book is now available with a new index.

Milton Friedman's article, The Social Responsibility of Business Is To Increase Its Profits, owes its appeal to the rhetorical devices of simplicity, authority, and finality. More careful consideration reveals oversimplification and ambiguity that conceals empirical errors and logical fallacies. It is false that business does, or would, operate exclusively in economic terms, that managers concentrate obsessively on profitability, and that ethics can be marginalized. These errors reflect basic contradictions: an apolitical political base, altruistic agents of selfishness, and good deriving from (...) greed. (shrink)

Available from UMI in association with The British Library. ;This thesis is structured as follows: From the M/O literature, chapter I establishes a 'real world' picture, back to which all must relate. Chapters II-IV look at the broad-sweep influences on the way we conceptualise technology, . They describe how we got to think the way we do think, about technology. Chapter V details the methodology. Chapters VI-IX are the main analysis, . Chapter X concludes the findings. ;The massive increase in (...) the power and pervasiveness of technology this century raises ethical dilemmas of a new order, and hence puts responsible professional action firmly at the centre of managing technology. ;This thesis therefore helps establish an ethical discourse about technology; the values usually hidden in the impressive array of numbers are brought into the open. ;This is achieved by examining the language, themes and methodologies of philosophers of technology, as found in 12 years worth of scholarly output of 'The Society for Philosophy and Technology' . The 223 articles are made accessible by developing taxonomies, which are then put in diagramatic form. A hermeneutic methodology is used, and this, together with the sample frame chosen, means that economic dimensions which usually dominate discussions about technology, are in the background. Other aspects of technology become visible. ;Ethics education is a key outcome of the thesis, and three courses developed from the analysis are outlined in chapter X. The aim is to sensitize students to the ethical dimensions of 'doing technology', to develop their critical thinking skills so they can prioritize ethical problems, to enlarge their capacity to 'act professionally' , to encourage them to develop a sense of their own moral authority, and to help them choose a career they can live with. (shrink)

This book is also available through the Introductory Engineering Custom Publishing System. If you are interested in creating a course-pack that includes chapters from this book, you can get further information by calling 212-850-6272 or mailing email inquiries to engineer jwiley.com. Updated, supplemented and revised, this edition discusses the moral obligations engineers face. Contains a wealth of case studies which demonstrate and reinforce concepts presented. Stresses important issues such as the choices required between employed engineers behaving ethically and retaining their (...) jobs. Covers the consequences of secrecy in technology, current posture and activities of professional societies and techniques developed for the nuclear industry to avert conflict. There is a new chapter on catastrophes, several new case studies and a section on standards, including a discussion of the Hydrolevel case. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved. (shrink)