Technology is crucial in influencing society, therefore it is imperative to understand what influences technological development and how it changes society, such as social shaping and theories of technological determinism. Langdon Winner supports the social determination of technology through the findings of others and his theories of politically influenced technologies, thus Winner accounts for technological determinism through defining the theory in this context.
“The social determination of technology is the social circumstances of technological development, deployment and use” (Winner, 1986, p.21). When discussing politics, Winner refers to authorities in society and how people behave under that power (Winner, 1986, p.22). Winner states two ways in which artefacts have politics; first, when the invention, design or arrangement of a technology becomes a way of resolving an issue in a particular society, and when there are ‘inherently political technologies’, that is, artificial systems requiring specific types of political relationships (Winner, 1986, p. 22). Winner formed his theory on political artefacts as a means of understanding which technologies and contexts are significant and why, and that it “is an enterprise that must involve both the study of specific technical systems and their history as well as a thorough grasp of the concepts and controversies of political theory” (Winner,1986, p.39). These theories were formed through the influence of the ideas of others including Lewis Mumford, William Morris, Dennis Hayes and Karl Marx, who all discussed the influence of particular technologies upon society (Winner, 1986, pp.19-20).
The case of architect Robert Moses is an example that Winner discussed when explaining polit...
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...e in which larger companies joined together in order to be able to introduce a new technology into society after the failure of the gas refrigerator, this case highlights the difficulty of introducing a new technology to society, something that still exists in contemporary societies (Schwartz Cowan, 1985, p.212). “If for no other reason, it is important for us to achieve a clearer view of these matters then has been our habit so far” (Winner, 1986, p.39).
In conclusion, Winners theory about political artefacts compliments the social determination of technology through his arguments and insights into the cases of both Robert Moses and the tomato harvester indicating that there are many social and political circumstances that are simultaneously involved in new technologies. Through the analysis of these cases Winner accounts for and defines technological determinism.
Beginning in the 1880’s companies began instituting new technologies and methods to replace their manual labor counterparts. In factories where meats were packed, vegetables were canned, and cereal was boxed, conveyors and other intricate systems began to form the common yet efficient “continuous-process” (similar to the modern assembly line). The introduction of flow process assisted in the development of our entire economy. With factories lowering operation costs and developing more efficient machines, mass amounts of raw material could now be produced like never before. Materials like iron could be produced at such a low rate that the railroad infrastructure of the United States boomed. Strasser introduces the emergence of the mass market through a Proctor and Gamble anecdote, delving into the interesting world of cooking fats (i.e. Crisco). Through the use of this Crisco example, Strasser highlights a major shift in consumer culture. Companies had the daunting task of introducing and marketing hundreds of thousands of new products, many of which people had no need for in the past. Along with new iterations like chewing gum and the flashlight, “People who had never heard of toothpaste had to be told that they need it...” (Strasser, 6). This quote essentially ties in with the psychological aspect of marketing and how many industries faced difficulties in
Technology, Culture, Society. Ed. Crowley, D.J., and P. Heyer. Allyn & Bacon/Pearson, 2010. 74-77. Print.
Rules and catalysts have become ubiquitous, diminishing or even eradicating opportunities for the exercise of discretion, which is fundamental to the advancement of good judgment as well as personal satisfaction. Modern philosophy and culture has shifted away from phronesis, practical judgment, in favor of techne, technical rationality. The fundamental threat that technology imposes on us is linked to our inability to think and act “outside the box.” David Tabachnick, a professor in the department of Political Science, Philosophy and Economics at Nipissing University, attempts to find and enforce limits on technology in his book, The Great Reversal, by exploring “the possibility of the return of good judgment to limit the role of technology
In his article titled “Upon Opening the Black Box and Finding It Empty: Social Constructivism and the Philosophy of Technology”, Langdon Winner (1993) presented a critique of social constructivism; noting that while there are definitely positive facets of social constructivism, there are also significant complications with the methodology. The aspects of social constructivism that he finds valuable include its conceptual rigor, its concern for specifics and its attempts to provide empirical models of technological change that better reveal the actual course of events (Winner, 1993). Despite this, Winner is adamant about the narrow confines of the social constructivist perspective. In his article, Winner (1993, p. 368) explores four specific limitations of social constructivism:
Star, Alexander. "Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology." New Republic. v207 n5 (July 27, 1992):59.
This was especially prevalent socially. A prime example would be when Tesla built a hydroelectric plant for Niagara Falls. “Tesla did some things considered impossible for the turn of the century. One such thing was harnessing the power of Niagara Falls. He did so by building a hydroelectric plant, which is simple enough now, but this was a marvel of the time.” People eventually realized from breakthroughs like Tesla’s that we no longer had to be stuck in the positions we were in now, but that there was always more possibilities out there. However, there was more than just the transforming of the human mind that was to be done, but also the transformation of the economy. Before this point, machines were built with mills that would complete a simple task with human intervention, and just human industry. However, the advancements of Tesla and Faraday, mostly inventions and concepts, allowed for a greater economy.The first example would be Faraday. Faraday gave birth to many sciences, even if he hadn’t realized it. One that has affected industry largely has been electrolysis. “A large number of electrolysis processes are employed by industry to refine metals and to produce both inorganic and organic products.” (Lower) In this quote we realize how much we use electrolysis, and not only industry, but also for producing power. We also, of course, must include the impact Tesla has made, which some would say is even greater. Alternating current electricity is the main electricity used today, and much of our industry is Tesla’s legacy being reflected. In A Machine to End War, “‘Were we,' remarks B. A. Behrend, distinguished author and engineer,' to seize and to eliminate the results of Mr. Tesla's work, the wheels of industry would cease to turn, our electric cars and trains would stop, our towns would
Wiebe E Bijker, T. P. (1987). The Social Construction of Technological Systems. London: The MIT Press.
In Postman’s book that our society is redefining what family, religion, education, privacy, and history mean as a result of technology, known as technopoly. He proposes several theories about how our society got to where we currently are;including social, and symbolic traditions, and totalitarian technocracy. Postman compares technology to Thamus’ concern that writing would have an impact on an individual’s wisdom and memory. However, not all technology has been viewed negatively in Postman’s eyes. He has viewed some technologies as blessing to society; including technologies that once were provided as a helpful tool to society; including technologies such as, the printing press and clock. According to Postman, current technology is now considered a totalitarian order on society (Postman, 1992). These technologies brought beneficial aspects to society but did not control s...
While it is relatively easy to confuse the ideas of Aristotle, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and René Descartes, ancient philosophy, eighteenth century politics, and mathematics all appear to be considerably disconnected subjects. Associated with these divisions are three different opinions on a common subject matter: technology. It appears that Rousseau directly opposes technology, Aristotle’s opinion rests in the middle but also shares similarities with Rousseau, and Descartes favors technology. After reading Rousseau’s Discourse On the Origin of Inequality, Aristotle’s The Nicomachean Ethics and Descartes’s The Discourse on Method, one can draw these conclusions. When looking at Rousseau’s opinion on the natural man, it is clear he believes that all things manmade are disadvantageous; Aristotle’s view on friendship can be both supportive and antagonistic, while Descartes’s method for pursuing the truth points solely to a pro-technology point-of-view.
Arrow, Kenneth. "Economic welfare and the allocation of resources for invention." The rate and direction of inventive activity: Economic and social factors. Nber, 1962. 609-626.
In “ 5 Things We Need To Know About Technological Change”, by Neil Postman, Postman describes the prices we have to pay each time something new is made. The first price is culture, culture always pays a price for technology. For example, cars and pollution ( and many other less obvious examples). As Postman says: “Technology giveth and technology taketh away”.The second thing to know is that there are always winners and losers in technological change. As Postman explains: “the advantages and disadvantages of new technologies are never distributed evenly among the population”. There are always winners and losers in technological change. Winners tend to be those whose lifestyle is most closely aligned with the values of technology. The losers are those who don’t put technology on the first place. So for some technology is everything, while others are not that into it. As for the third thing that Postman describes is that in every technology there is a hidden philosophy about how the mind should work. I believe what Postman is saying is very similar to what Nicholas Carr, the author of “Tools Of The Mind” said. In “Tools of the Mind”, Carr introduces us to a new word, which he frequently uses called “intellectual ethic”, meaning an assumption implicit in a tool about how the mind should work. Carr explains how the map, clock, and writing are “intellectual technologies” that changed society and our ways
Technology allows culture to evolve by creating solutions to problems by removing constraints that exist. Every invention and concept is expanded on to create the utmost perfect solution. Although this process can take decades, or even centuries, to actually develop a proficient resolution, the end result is what advances society industrially. There are conflicting views, however, if these advances are beneficially or maliciously affecting society (Coget). There are three kinds of people in regards to the attitude toward technology: technophiles, technophobes, and those who aren't biased in either regard (Coget). Technophiles understand that the world adapts to the advances in technology and uses them to improve their lives (Tenner). Technophobes observe technology as damaging or are uncomfortable in using it (DeVany). It is undeniable that technology is ever-expanding, thus peaking curiosity to uncover what fuels the fear behind the technophobes. Our focus is concentrated on the technophiles and the technophobes . I will begin with the latter as they contribute greatly to the ov...
According to John Horvat, an author in The Wall Street Journal, " The proper use of technology is that it should be a means to serve us and make our lives easier. A key requirement is that we should be in control." Although, the problem with today`s society, is that we are not in control. Instead of technology serving us, it is now the other way around. Society has been more dependent on its technology in recent years, than it has ever been in the past. Those who are against the up rise of the technology industries, believe that technology has taken away ...
The evolution of technology has changed society in both positive and negative ways. People all over the world use and benefit from modern technology. Technology has simplified the access to many tools people need in education, medicine, communication, transportation, etc. However, using it too often has its drawbacks as well. In most cases, the time of finishing projects is cut by more than half with the help of technology. Many people do not realize that technology has its negative affects society as well, and its rapid advances has changed life for worse in a number of different ways.
Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) was a German philosopher that argues in “The Question Concerning Technology," the essence of technology; especially that modern technology is essentially dangerous. He believes that modern technology forces us to misunderstand the world around us, including ourselves. As a result, modern technology takes away essential purposes such as freedom. This freedom revolves around man’s self-knowledge and truth. Specifically, I will introduce and discuss Heidegger’s argument of modern technology “standing-reserve”. By this, technology is ready to be controlled by humans. In the mean time, this unused technology is thought of as being “on call” until there is a need for its further order.