Thinking through Technology: The Path between Engineering and Philosophy Review

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(More customer reviews)I found this book to be an excellant survey of the history and philosophy of technology. It replaces a multitude of other texts.

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What does it mean to think about technology philosophically? Why try? These are the issues that Carl Mitcham addresses in this work, a comprehensive, critical introduction to the philosophy of technology and a discussion of its sources and uses.Tracing the changing meaning of "technology" from ancient times to our own, Mitcham identifies the most important traditions of critical analysis of technology: the engineering approach, which assumes the centrality of technology in human life; and the humanities approach, which is concerned with its moral and cultural boundaries.Mitcham bridges these two traditions through an analysis of discussions of engineering design, of the distinction between tools and machines, and of engineering science itself. He looks at technology as it is experienced in everyday life—as material objects (from kitchenware to computers), as knowledge ( including recipes, rules, theories, and intuitive "know-how"), as activity (design, construction, and use), and as volition (knowing how to use technology and understanding its consequences). By elucidating these multiple aspects, Mitcham establishes criteria for a more comprehensive analysis of ethical issues in applications of science and technology.This book will guide anyone wanting to reflect on technology and its moral implications.

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Autonomous Technology: Technics-out-of-Control as a Theme in Political Thought Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is simply the best introduction to the philosophy and politics of technology. No competition.
Winner discusses a wide range of literature on the subject, from authors such as Jacques Ellul, Marx, Heidegger, and others. He uses these ideas as a springboard to cover many of the ideas they brought up with much more depth and clarity.
Some of the most interesting ideas discussed include (amongst others):
* "Reverse adaptation" -- when technologies force us to modify our ends/goals/purposes in order to meet the needs of our means/tools/techniques
* "Technological imperative" -- how technology changes the structure of human societies, even before they have been put into use (e.g. in order to create an environment conducive to their use)
* "Neutrality" -- Winner smashes the myth of tools being "neutral" (the idea that tools can't be inherently good or bad, and that only the way they are *used* can be good/bad)
Don't be put off by the fact that the book was originally published back in the 1970s -- the ideas are every bit as applicable (much more so actually...) today as they were then.
Highly recommended.

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The truth of the matter is that our deficiency does not lie in the wantof well-verified "facts." What we lack is our bearings. The contemporary experienceof things technological has repeatedly confounded our vision, our expectations, andour capacity to make intelligent judgments. Categories, arguments, conclusions, andchoices that would have been entirely obvious in earlier times are obvious nolonger. Patterns of perceptive thinking that were entirely reliable in the past nowlead us systematically astray. Many of our standard conceptions of technology reveala disorientation that borders on dissociation from reality. And as long as we lackthe ability to make our situation intelligible, all of the "data" in the world willmake no difference. ;From the Introduction

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