BOOK REVIEW - Society and Technology: Impact, Issues and Challenges

In putting together this collection of papers we have become aware of two things. First, each of the cases is historically unique and interesting; they can all stand on their own without need for further interpretation. Second, these cases contain important clues and guidelines which point to a more general theory of technology and sociocultural change. They do not go far enough to allow us to frame up such a theory, but they provide the inductive impetus for relating these examples to the wider system of theory building in anthropology. In the first edition of this book we were not yet ready to elaborate even the outlines of such a theory, but the ensuing 15 years have given us plenty of new materials, as well as general growth in various aspects of theoretical social science. We can now offer a theoretical synthesis, and show how this synthesis can lead directly to the testing of specific hypotheses.

Synesis, 4, 2013

It goes without saying that the change we experience today, which is fuelled by a series of new technologies, differs from other profound changes that have defined our culture in the past. The current change affects our everyday lives, but the new tools it offers us can be seen as an extension of our senses, of our various modes of communication and, to a certain extent, of our brains (since the question about whether one regards machines as extensions of living organisms or living organisms as complex machines seems to be a topic of exploration as well). Nowadays, the proliferation of the fields of knowledge, the often vague distinction between art, technology and science, and the "immaterial" form of the new tech-nologies compel us to widen the field of our traditional research disciplines, and most crucially the field of ethics. The debate around the morality of technology has given rise to special moral categories -regarding for example the issues of responsibility, safety and risk -which had not been as important in premodern moral philosophy.

This essay deals explicitly with the concepts of culture, society and technology and in anthropology, explaining how they differ and intersect. Part two explores the critical relationships between culture, society and technology. Specifically, this essay explains that: culture and society are two ways of looking at the same elements of shared human experience; the interaction between culture, society and technology is very complex and that technology is a pervasive force that constantly shapes and reshapes culture and society.

Overview of the "two cultures": Science and Humanities

1997

Covers why we so easily misuse technology and the cultural and religious dimensions of our human condition to identify exactly what makes life "better." 97 pp.

These essays answer the following the questions: Why are some societies and cultures more receptive to technology than others? To what extent is technology a key factor in facilitating societal and behavioral change or subordinate to socio-political, historical, and culturally specific context? How and why has “history” been redefined as the record of socio-economic “progress”?

April, 2021

"According, to the Greek myth, Prometheus, a human, stole the secret of technology from the Gods. The head of the gods, Zeus, then made all humanity suffer for Prometheus' audacity and rebellion against the natural order of things. In one version of the myth, he sent down Pandora's Box, which, when opened, let escape all the evils of the world. Thus, suffering and unhappiness were the price humans had to pay for their theft of the god-like powers of technology. The ancient Greeks argued that whoever possessed a Techne had to be socially responsible. Both Plato and Aristotle stated that, for the social order to be maintained, it is mandatory that an individual must also practice Techne for the benefit of social, not exclusively for, oneself." Along, with economic and financial needs-across cultures, people have layers of social, cultural, ecological and psychological requirements-which must be met for optimal performance and complete their assigned tasks. In the course of action people often need reliable sources of motivation, self determination and positive personal growth. The process of identifying these sources and channelizing them has to be done and continued. Moreover, these ideas have to be introduced in early stages of social and professional life. During the past years there has been a concern shown towards inclusion of liberal arts education for the technology students. In particular for the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Medical) related branches. Usually, technological education has miniscule or no emphasis on liberal arts and humanities themes. By and large technology and liberal arts are segregated domains of study. Irrefutably, technical streams produce significant numbers of quality technocrats, bureaucrats, medical professionals and engineers every year. Besides, such individuals are capable of solving technical problems in their chosen fields. However, quite often they find it difficult to effectively maintain a qualitative balance between technology, society, culture, human values, ecological concerns and sustainable development. Evidently, for the technology students the huge segregation between their education and other systems of knowledge does not provide enough opportunities to explore, human values, socio-cultural deposits and means of sustainable and inclusive development. As a consequence, the experts in various technology and engineering fields have a skewed understanding of priorities, structures and needs of the society, livelihood patterns also, subversive economic trends.

2017

This introduction to a set of papers on innovations in ancient societies discusses an overview of crucial issues raised in the collected contributions. It is evident that the esteem for innovations in different societies was highly uneven. Most of the contributions collected here argue that in non-modern circumstances, innovations had to be inserted into existing cultural traditions with utmost care to be successful.

A Companion to the Philosophy of Technology

When people think about technology from a contemporary perspective, they often think about all the gadgets and devices that are commonplace in our lives. For example, only ten years ago we were watching movies on VCRs and were talking on cell phones that would be unrecognizable compared to today's standards. Is this the essence of technology, or is there more to it? Technology has been something that has undoubtedly marked our world and our lives for a very long time, and especially since the industrial revolution occurred in the late 18 th and early 19 th centuries. Major changes occurred in the way the world produced its goods, and the level at which goods were produced. Science and technology began changing the world. How then are we to view technology today? It is clearly a phenomenon that as been influencing the world for any centuries. Is it any different today than it was one or two hundred years ago? These are questions that are important in the study of the history of technology, and even culture. There are many theorists who have written on this topic, including Thomas J. Misa who wrote Leonardo: Technology & Culture from the Renaissance to the Present to the Internet. In this essay we will comment on Misa's analysis of how technology has influenced culture since the Renaissance, with specific reference to the industrialization. We will then compare Misa's theories of technology and culture and compare them with that of two other authors who have their own views on the history of technology and how it has affected culture. From this it will be clear that when analysing technology and culture, we need to evaluate not the level of innovation, but rather how the technology is really