2009 Vera Pavri Introductory Lecture: Questions Concerning Technology, Part One Today we will look at how technology

y is defined and some common myths associated with technology and technological development. Lastly we will e!plore some of the ma"or themes that will #e e!amined thro$gho$t this co$rse

I. Defining Technology %hile term technology can #e fo$nd as early as &' th cent$ry $sed to descri#e treatise or st$dy of ind$strial (practical) arts Term technology only pop$lari*ed after %%++ #$t $se of technology (or material) items can #e traced to almost 2 million years ago prior to this terms $sed were ,practical arts - ,applied science- and ,engineering&./& 0 1aco# 2igelow 0 #ook entitled ,3lements of Technology4on the 5pplication of 6cience to the 7sef$l 5rtshe e8$ated technology with invention and creativity9 science as process of discovery #reaking down term: teks is +ndo-3$ropean root word meaning to fa#ricate or weave9 in ;reek tekton refers to carpenter or #$ilder and tekhne to art craft or skill +n this class yo$ will #egin to $nderstand that the history of technology is not "$st a#o$t foc$sing on partic$lar ,revol$tionary- technologies or ,great inventorsmost technologies are not created #y "$st one individ$al9 ideas a#o$t technology are often taken from older so$rces also important to $nderstand that social and c$lt$ral factors play a <3= role in the s$ccess or fail$re of new technologies9 why are some technologies s$ccessf$l in one area and not in another also important to disting$ish #etween invention and innovation (making a technology commercially s$ccessf$l) e ill !"#"$%&I'"

II. Popular theories of technological development that and C!ITIQ("

>>>?ne of the main things we will #e doing in this co$rse is to !"#"$%&I'" )i.e. *uestion or criti*ue+ some pop$lar ideas a#o$t the relationship #etween technology and society. These theories #elow will #e re-e!amined and 8$estioned thro$gho$t the term so please make s$re yo$ $nderstand them as yo$ will refer to them thro$gho$t the term: %. Technological Determinism i. Defining Determinism

2009 Vera Pavri

Technological determinism is a viewpoint that regards technology as the prime agent of social and organi*ational change Technology is seen as an independent entity that changes and shapes society. +t is an ,a$tonomo$s force- that once invented appears to have a ,life of its own.?nce an o#"ect is invented this artifact then transforms society and the way h$mans interact with one another9 central to this idea is that h$man agents have almost no control over a technology once it has #een #$ilt Technological determinism th$s offers a linear acco$nt of technology development that is inherently progressive @istorian @eil#roner e!plains that determinists ass$me that technological change follows a ro$ghly ordered se8$ence of development and imposes certain social and political characteristics $pon the society in which it is fo$nd The idea that technology is the ,ca$se- of social political economic and c$lt$ral change is the central element in determinist theories of technological change Technology is th$s the ,driving force of history- that can have a revol$tionary impact on relatively passive societies ith Determinism

ii. Popularity of Theory and Pro,lems -

+deas of technological determinism are most pervasive in pop$lar disco$rse 5ccording to historians Aar! and 6mith ,+t is typified #y sentences in which ,technology - or a s$rrogate like ,the machine - is made the s$#"ect of an active predicate: ,The a$tomo#ile created s$#$r#ia.- ,The atomic #om# divested Bongress of its power to declare war.- ,The mechanical cotton-picker set off the migration of so$thern #lack farm workers to northern cities.- ,The ro#ots p$t the riveters o$t of work.- ,The Pill prod$ced a se!$al revol$tion.+n each case a comple! event is made to seem the inescapa#le yet strikingly pla$si#le res$lt of a technological innovation +ronically what makes determinist acco$nts of technological change frightening is also what makes them appealing: while technologies may appear to #e o$t of control h$mans are in t$rn a#solved of their own responsi#ilities regarding the impact of technological development

iii. %lternative theories technological determinists have #een critici-ed for simplifying what is a far more comple! relationship #etween society and technological change Theories s$ch as the social constr$ction of technology and the social shaping of technology have #een developed to ref$te the notion of technological determinism

2009 Vera Pavri ;enerally these theorists arg$e that determinists place technology o$tside society and neglect to acco$nt for the h$man factor in technological innovation Ceterminists fail to see technologies as part of a pattern of social and c$lt$ral $se and #y doing so a#solve h$mans of their own responsi#ilities regarding the $se of technologies. Technological determinism is also $niversalistic9 it does not acco$nt for the fact that technological development innovation and $se varies within different gro$ps and c$lt$res. 5ccording to historians %illiams and 3dge ,choices are inherent in #oth the design of individ$al artifacts and systems and in the direction or tra"ectory of innovation programs.-

.. Technology as %pplied /cience +n the past history of technology was $s$ally s$#s$med $nder histories of science or economics Technology as ,applied science- refers to idea that technology is driven #y scientific discoveries %hile this might #e tr$e to some e!tent in the modern era prior to the 20 th cent$ry science and technology done #y different sets of people with different norms and val$es within their esta#lished comm$nities e!amples: +nd$strial Devol$tion 0 inventions s$ch as te!tile machines steam engines railways had little scientific knowledge #ehind them today the de#ate still contin$es as to whether modern technology heavily relies on scientific knowledge pro"ect @indsight 0 &9E0Fs 0 Cepartment of Cefense 0 looked at development of military defense system researchers fo$nd 0./G events relied on scientific9 90G had technical origin9 .G applied science pro"ect Traces 0 Hational 6cience Io$ndation 0 contraceptives electron microscope VBDFs all rooted in #asic scientific research what is the significance of this relationship in terms of p$#lic policyJ

C. 'ecessity is the &other of Invention economic approach to technological development where#y technologies are created according to the partic$lar needs or wants of society9 ,necessity is the mother of invention5ss$mption is that technological development follows a fi!ed one-way path and can #e e!plained #y referring to economic laws etc... while this may #e tr$e for a certain category of invention the ma"or criticism of this idea is the ass$mption that the inventors of a technology act$ally know what their technology will #e $sed for

2009 Vera Pavri as we will see time and time again in this class inventors of a technology may not act$ally know how $sers will respond to their technology9 in many instances comparisons will often #e made to older technologies leads to idea of 7H+HT3HC3C B?H63K73HB36 related to technological development +n addition h$man #eings have a variety of needs not all of them economic: people prod$ce technologies for power fame honor pride fear greed c$riosity etc4 economic necessity also does not e!plain technologies that are invented at one time #$t are $sed at a later date e!ample: windmills introd$ced into 3ngland aro$nd &&.L #$t spread only in &/th cent$ry after landowners tho$ght they co$ld #e profita#le vent$re instead of necessity as mother of invention might #e more pr$dent to arg$e that new inventions often create needs that m$st then #e satisfied #y new technologies

III. Course Themes >>Please pay caref$l attention to these co$rse themes. They are e!tremely important for yo$ to $nderstand as 3V3D=T@+H; we do in class will #e #ased in part on one or more themes: %. 0o (sers /hape ne Technologies

instead of inventors it is often $sers themselves that act$ally determine how a technology will #e $sed and what shape it will take $nintended conse8$ences of $sing new technologies social c$lt$ral factors play large role in s$ccess or fail$re of new techs prime e!amples: telephone radio personal comp$ter internet

.. Technology and issues of !ace, Class, Culture and 1ender @ave certain technologies have #een designed or created in favor of one gender over anotherJ @ow have technologies have #een $sed to e!ploit or oppress different c$lt$res especially d$ring the period of colonial e!pansion in the &. th and &9th cent$ries and in the 76 and ;ermany in the 20 th cent$ryJ 3!amples: Do#ert Aoses highway #ridges and the 8$estion of racial segregation in Hew =ork9 Ha*i science and %%++9 e$genics and intelligence testing

C. !eligion and Technology %hat is the relationship #etween religion and technologyJ @ow have technologies #een $sed in the name of religion or to "$stify religio$s oppression and ine8$alityJ

2009 Vera Pavri

D. The !elationship ,et een /cience and Technology @ow has technology #een regarded thro$gho$t the agesJ @ow has it compared to nat$ral philosophy (science)J some see relationship #etween science and technology as intimately connected since time of ancient civili*ations9 to make distinctions #etween them is meaningless others see science and technology as two distinct activities with their own methods norms and comm$nities depending on viewpoint historical events can #e interpreted in n$m#er of different ways e!ample of Thomas 3dison: some see his work as separation of technology from science9 others state that he co$ld not have #een s$ccessf$l witho$t help of physicist employees like I. 7pton the ways in which people think a#o$t technology (in relation) to science is e!tremely important especially when it comes to iss$es of ind$stry and government f$nded research Technologies

". The &anagement of 'e -

5re certain technologies cond$cive to a partic$lar management str$ct$reJ Technology and iss$es of control: patents standards monopolies %hat is the p$rpose of large state driven technological programsJ (Hote: this is not a H3% phenomena as we will see in o$r disc$ssion of ancient civili*ations s$ch as 3gypt and Aesopotamia) The politics of technology policy and reg$lation