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Technology and Rationality (Routledge Revivals)

First published in 1998, this volume deals with the position and role that the technology of modern society has traditionally had and ought to have within modern social philosophy and social theory. These two considerations are by no means one and the same. This selectivity is expressed both by Thomas Krogh’s choice of historical writers and in the systematic orientation towards a discussion of the way in which technology is treated in social philosophy or social theories that have been inspired by and reflect philosophy, and that move on a relatively high level of abstraction. These include those proposed by Gehlen, Marx, Sartre, Habermas and Luhmann.

Technology and Social Inclusion: Rethinking the Digital Divide (The\mit Press Ser.)

Much of the discussion about new technologies and social equality has focused on the oversimplified notion of a "digital divide." Technology and Social Inclusion moves beyond the limited view of haves and have-nots to analyze the different forms of access to information and communication technologies. Drawing on theory from political science, economics, sociology, psychology, communications, education, and linguistics, the book examines the ways in which differing access to technology contributes to social and economic stratification or inclusion. The book takes a global perspective, presenting case studies from developed and developing countries, including Brazil, China, Egypt, India, and the United States.A central premise is that, in today's society, the ability to access, adapt, and create knowledge using information and communication technologies is critical to social inclusion. This focus on social inclusion shifts the discussion of the "digital divide" from gaps to be overcome by providing equipment to social development challenges to be addressed through the effective integration of technology into communities, institutions, and societies. What is most important is not so much the physical availability of computers and the Internet but rather people's ability to make use of those technologies to engage in meaningful social practices.

Technology and Society, second edition: Building Our Sociotechnical Future (Inside Technology)

Writings by thinkers ranging from Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain to Bruno Latour that focus on the interconnections of technology, society, and values.Technological change does not happen in a vacuum; decisions about which technologies to develop, fund, market, and use engage ideas about values as well as calculations of costs and benefits. In order to influence the development of technology for the better, we must first understand how technology and society are inextricably bound together. These writings--by thinkers ranging from Bruno Latour to Francis Fukuyama--help us do just that, examining how people shape technology and how technology shapes people. This second edition updates the original significantly, offering twenty-one new essays along with fifteen from the first edition. The book first presents visions of the future that range from technological utopias to cautionary tales and then introduces several major STS theories. It examines human and social values and how they are embedded in technological choices and explores the interesting and subtle complexities of the technology-society relationship. Remedying a gap in earlier theorizing in the field, many of the texts illustrate how race and gender are intertwined with technology. Finally, the book offers a set of readings that focus on the sociotechnical challenges we face today, treating topics that include cybersecurity, geoengineering, and the myth of neutral technology.

Technology and Society: Building Our Sociotechnical Future

Technological change does not happen in a vacuum; decisions about which technologies to develop, fund, market, and use engage ideas about values as well as calculations of costs and benefits.

Technology and Society: Building our Sociotechnical Future (Inside Technology #28)

An anthology of writings by thinkers ranging from Freeman Dyson to Bruno Latour that focuses on the interconnections of technology, society, and values and how these may affect the future. Technological change does not happen in a vacuum; decisions about which technologies to develop, fund, market, and use engage ideas about values as well as calculations of costs and benefits. This anthology focuses on the interconnections of technology, society, and values. It offers writings by authorities as varied as Freeman Dyson, Laurence Lessig, Bruno Latour, and Judy Wajcman that will introduce readers to recent thinking about technology and provide them with conceptual tools, a theoretical framework, and knowledge to help understand how technology shapes society and how society shapes technology. It offers readers a new perspective on such current issues as globalization, the balance between security and privacy, environmental justice, and poverty in the developing world. The careful ordering of the selections and the editors' introductions give Technology and Society a coherence and flow that is unusual in anthologies. The book is suitable for use in undergraduate courses in STS and other disciplines. The selections begin with predictions of the future that range from forecasts of technological utopia to cautionary tales. These are followed by writings that explore the complexity of sociotechnical systems, presenting a picture of how technology and society work in step, shaping and being shaped by one another. Finally, the book goes back to considerations of the future, discussing twenty-first-century challenges that include nanotechnology, the role of citizens in technological decisions, and the technologies of human enhancement.

Technology and Sustainable Development: The Promise and Pitfalls of Techno-Solutionism

Technological change is at the core of all major disruptions in human history, and revolutions, wars, and general development are regularly connected to some sort of technological change. However, not all development is beneficial. While technology has fueled great innovations and rapid development, the notion of sustainable development has gained prominence as we now experience serious social, economic, and environmental challenges. This book examines whether technology can be used to fix the very problems caused by technology, as the various chapters examine different aspects related to how technology has brought us where we are today (which some will say is the best place humanity’s been at according to a range of metrics), and whether technology helps or hinders us in our efforts to solve the challenges we currently face. The issues discussed cover the three sustainability dimensions and include topics such as the materiality of AI, technology in education, AI for gender equality, innovation and the digital divide, and how technology relates to power, the political system, and capitalism. The chapters all build on the theoretical backdrop of technological change, sustainable development, and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are actively used throughout this book, both to examine how these goals capture or overlook central elements of sustainable development, and also to facilitate and create a common framework of engagement between the chapters. This book provides a novel combination of traditional theories that are explored through different case studies, providing the ground for a better understanding of how and when technology can –and cannot –be the enabler of sustainable development. It is thus an important resource for students of all disciplines, technologists, and those developing and applying new technologies. It is also a valuable resource for politicians and regulators attempting to harness the power of technology for good, while limiting its negative potential. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license. Funded by Ostfold University College.

Technology and Women's Empowerment (Routledge Studies in Gender and Economics)

The near-ubiquitous spread of ICT offers unprecedented opportunities for social and economic agents, reshapes social and economic structures and drives the emergence of socioeconomic networks. This book contributes to the growing body of literature and present state of knowledge, offering the reader broad evidence on how new information and communication technologies impact women’s economic and social empowerment and hence have an impact on overall welfare creation. More specifically, it concentrates on demonstrating how ICT may become "empowering technologies" through their implementation. The book is designed to provide deep insight into the theoretical and empirical evidence on ICT as a significant driver of women`s social and economic development. Special focus is given to examining the following broad topics: channels of ICT impact on women's development; the role of ICT in enhancing women's active participation in formal labor markets; examples of how ICT encourages education, skills development, institutions development et alia, and thus contributes to women’s social and economic empowerment, as well as case-based evidence on ICT's role in fostering women’s equality. The primary audience for the book will be scholars and academic professionals from a wide variety of disciplines but mainly those who are concerned with addressing the issues of economic development and growth, social development, the role of technology progress in the context of broadly defined socioeconomic progress.

Technology and Women's Voices: Keeping in Touch

First published in 1988. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life: A Philosophical Inquiry

Blending social analysis and philosophy, Albert Borgmann maintains that technology creates a controlling pattern in our lives. This pattern, discernible even in such an inconspicuous action as switching on a stereo, has global effects: it sharply divides life into labor and leisure, it sustains the industrial democracies, and it fosters the view that the earth itself is a technological device. He argues that technology has served us as well in conquering hunger and disease, but that when we turn to it for richer experiences, it leads instead to a life dominated by effortless and thoughtless consumption. Borgmann does not reject technology but calls for public conversation about the nature of the good life. He counsels us to make room in a technological age for matters of ultimate concern—things and practices that engage us in their own right.

Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life: A Philosophical Inquiry

Blending social analysis and philosophy, Albert Borgmann maintains that technology creates a controlling pattern in our lives. This pattern, discernible even in such an inconspicuous action as switching on a stereo, has global effects: it sharply divides life into labor and leisure, it sustains the industrial democracies, and it fosters the view that the earth itself is a technological device. He argues that technology has served us as well in conquering hunger and disease, but that when we turn to it for richer experiences, it leads instead to a life dominated by effortless and thoughtless consumption. Borgmann does not reject technology but calls for public conversation about the nature of the good life. He counsels us to make room in a technological age for matters of ultimate concern—things and practices that engage us in their own right.

Technology and the Common Good: The Unity and Division of a Democratic Society

Building on the work of Elinor Ostrom (Governing the Commons) the author examines how the different shared goods of a democratic society are shaped by technology and demonstrates how club goods, common pool resources, and public goods are supported, enhanced, and disrupted by technology. He further argues that as the common good is undermined by different interests, it should be possible to reclaim technology, if the members of the society conclude that they have something in common.

Technology and the Culture of Progress in Meiji Japan (Routledge/Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA) East Asian Series)

In this book David Wittner situates Japan’s Meiji Era experience of technology transfer and industrial modernization within the realm of culture, politics, and symbolism, examining how nineteenth century beliefs in civilization and enlightenment influenced the process of technological choice. Through case studies of the iron and silk industries, Wittner argues that the Meiji government’s guiding principle was not simply economic development or providing a technical model for private industry as is commonly claimed. Choice of technique was based on the ability of a technological artifact to import Western "civilization" to Japan: Meiji officials’ technological choices were firmly situated within perceptions of authority, modernity, and their varying political agendas. Technological artifacts could also be used as instruments of political legitimization. By late the Meiji Era, the former icons of Western civilization had been transformed into the symbols of Japanese industrial and military might. A fresh and engaging re-examination of Japanese industrialization within the larger framework of the Meiji Era, this book will appeal to scholars and students of science, technology, and society as well as Japanese history and culture.

Technology and the Environment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Emerging Trends in the Nigerian Manufacturing Industry (Routledge Revivals)

This title was first published in 2002. Why do firms adopt pollution control technologies? How can environmental policy be strengthened? How can technology and industrial policies achieve green innovation? This volume critically examines whether the "stimulus-response" notion of environmental policy functions as the primary motivation for the adoption of pollution control technologies. It also questions whether technology and industrial policies can help to achieve the objective of green innovation. Interesting and well-researched empirical case studies offer important insights into the observed trends in the quantitative analysis. Focusing in particular on Nigerian industry, John Adeoti exposes the gains from and constraints upon firms' technology investment in pollution control.

Technology and the Environment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Emerging Trends in the Nigerian Manufacturing Industry (Routledge Revivals)

This title was first published in 2002. Why do firms adopt pollution control technologies? How can environmental policy be strengthened? How can technology and industrial policies achieve green innovation? This volume critically examines whether the "stimulus-response" notion of environmental policy functions as the primary motivation for the adoption of pollution control technologies. It also questions whether technology and industrial policies can help to achieve the objective of green innovation. Interesting and well-researched empirical case studies offer important insights into the observed trends in the quantitative analysis. Focusing in particular on Nigerian industry, John Adeoti exposes the gains from and constraints upon firms' technology investment in pollution control.

Technology and the Environment: Proceeding of the 5th International Conference on Advanced Technologies and Humanity (ICATH’2023) (Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation)

This book presents a collection of research papers and case studies from leading experts in the field. This proceedings book explores innovative approaches to addressing environmental challenges in urban settings through the integration of technology and sustainability. From mapping urban flood hazards to leveraging artificial intelligence in e-learning and financial fraud detection, each paper offers practical insights and solutions for implementing smart and sustainable practices in cities. Case studies examine the impact of new urban spaces on human behavior, the role of digital communication in local governance, and the potential of renewable energy transition in reshaping Morocco's energetic future. Readers will gain valuable insights into topics such as smart tourism strategies, modeling solar wood drying, evaluating geothermal potential, and optimizing energy systems through machine learning algorithms and renewable energy integration. With contributions covering a wide range of topics, "Technology and The Environment" serves as a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and students interested in harnessing technology to create more sustainable urban environments.

Technology and the Future of Work: Reshaping the Workplace (Towards Sustainable Futures)

This book examines how the progress of digital technology is transforming the world of work, skill demand, labour market institutions, and regulations in countries like India. It studies the challenges, opportunities, and current and future contributions of digital technologies. The volume poses salient questions regarding the ICT sector, I4.0 technologies, the gig economy, remote work, and the regulatory environment, and interrogates the policy and regulatory measures needed to promote more inclusive and decent work in the future.Part of the Towards Sustainable Futures series, this book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of economics, sustainable development, sociology of work, labour economics, Indian economy, public policy, and human resource management. It will also be extremely useful to policymakers, government organisations, civil society organisations, and those in the corporate sector.

Technology and the Intelligence Community: Challenges And Advances For The 21st Century (Advanced Sciences and Technologies for Security Applications)

This volume examines the role of technology in gathering, assimilating and utilizing intelligence information through the ages. Pushing the boundaries of existing works, the articles contained here take a broad view of the use and implementation of technology and intelligence procedures during the cold war era and the space race, the September 2011 attacks, and more recent cyber operations. It looks at the development of different technologies, procedural implications thereof, and the underlying legal and ethical implications. The findings are then used to explore the future trends in technology including cyber operations, big data, open source intelligence, smart cities, and augmented reality. Starting from the core aspects of technical capabilities the articles dig deeper, exploring the hard and soft infrastructure of intelligence gathering procedures and focusing on the human and bureaucratic procedures involved therein.Technology and innovation have played an important role in determining the course of development of the intelligence community. Intelligence gathering for national security, however, is not limited only to the thread of technical capabilities but is a complex fabric of organizational structures, systemic undercurrents, and the role of personnel in key positions of decision making. The book’s findings and conclusions encompass not just temporal variation but also cut across a diverse set of issue areas. This compilation is uniquely placed in the interdisciplinary space combining the lessons from key cases in the past to current developments and implementation of technology options.

Technology as Experience

John and Peter argue that any account of what is often called the user experience must take into consideration the emotional, intellectual, and sensual aspects of our interactions with technology. We don't just use technology, they point out; we live with it.

Technology as Human Social Tradition

Technology as Human Social Tradition outlines a novel approach to studying variability and cumulative change in human technology--prominent research themes in both archaeology and anthropology. Peter Jordan argues that human material culture is best understood as an expression of social tradition. In this approach, each artifact stands as an output of a distinctive operational sequence with specific choices made at each stage in its production. Jordan also explores different material culture traditions that are propagated through social learning, factors that promote coherent lineages of tradition to form, and the extent to which these cultural lineages exhibit congruence with one another and with language history. Drawing on the application of cultural transmission theory to empirical research, Jordan develops a descent-with-modification perspective on the technology of Northern Hemisphere hunter-gatherers. Case studies from indigenous societies in Northwest Siberia, the Pacific Northwest Coast, and Northern California provide cross-cultural insights related to the evolution of material culture traditions at different social and spatial scales. This book promises new ways of exploring some of the primary factors that generate human cultural diversity in the deep past and through to the present.

Technology for Societal Transformation: Exploring the Intersection of Information Technology and Societal Development

This book extensively investigates the dynamic relationship between information technology and societal transformation. The book explores a range of applied IT uses, ranging from educational technology to the complex applications of cybersecurity, the promise of blockchain technologies, e-commerce and rural development, and social media and its applications in political activism. Investigating key topics in social development and the role information technology plays in elevating our lives, the book navigates this ever-changing landscape of technological innovation to determine how it can be a source for good and improve our lives by driving positive social change. While focusing on the practical application of technology to real-world situations, examples, and cases, the book primarily focuses on educational development, entrepreneurship, sociopolitical transformation, and the security and defence of society. Collectively, these explorations serve to better highlight how technology can be harnessed in the creation of a more inclusive and equitable society. Hence, the book will be a useful read for students, academics, policymakers, business and social investors.

Technology in Human Smuggling and Trafficking: Case Studies from Italy and the United Kingdom (SpringerBriefs in Criminology)

This brief offers a unique and innovative account of the role of internet and digital technologies in human smuggling and trafficking. It explores new illegal paths through the web by analyzing how traffickers and smugglers use the visible and dark web during different phases of the process, including recruitment, transportation, and exploitation. Featuring case studies from two European countries, Italy and the United Kingdom, it outlines the types of websites used in these processes, how they are used, and common behavior patterns. With a view of transnational criminal activities involving actors from individual criminal entrepreneurs to organized crime groups and fluid large criminal networks, this brief will be of use to law enforcement, researchers of trafficking and organized crime, and policy makers.

Technology in Social Work Education and Curriculum: The High Tech, High Touch Social Work Educator

Save time and trouble as you incorporate technology into your social work curriculumThe dramatic increase in the use of computers and other forms of technology in social work education and practice has educators, trainers, and administrators investing valuable time, money, and effort into trying to make the transition from traditional teaching to a Web-assisted learning environment. Technology in Social Work Education and Curriculum takes the mystery out of the online experience with practical information on using technology to enhance and enrich learning-but not at the expense of the "human" approach to social work. This unique book presents a variety of creative and interesting methods for incorporating technology that&’s affordable and user-friendly, and for developing online skills that won&’t become obsolete as computer hardware and software evolves.Technology in Social Work Education and Curriculum transforms technology into an everyday resource for agency field instructors, human service educators, trainers, and social work administrators. The book addresses concerns that educators with limited technical skills may have in using technology to teach cultural competency, group work, research, direct practice, social policy and advocacy, and field practicum, presenting hands-on approaches that are innovative but accessible. And by focusing on approaches rather than simply reviewing available hardware and software, the book provides you with background knowledge that makes it easier for you to successfully incorporate online learning into the classroom. Technology in Social Work Education and Curriculum examines using instructional technology to emotionally engage students in the learning process using digital video and qualitative data analysis software to teach group practice the role technology plays in advocacy distance-education technologies in policy education incorporating Web-assisted learning into a traditional classroom setting the advantages of distance education over more conventional approaches a model for planning the use and integration of computer technology in schools of social work how the behaviors of computer consultants can affect the students who seek their help using innovation diffusion theory in technology planning and much more!Social workers have traditionally embraced the latest technologies and scientific developments since the earliest days of the profession. Technology in Social Work Education and Curriculum helps continue that tradition, offering invaluable guidance to educators and administrators, no matter how experienced-or inexperienced-they are in dealing with communications technologies.

Technology in Southeast Asian History (Technology In Motion Ser.)

Technology in World Civilization, revised and expanded edition: A Thousand-Year History

The new edition of a milestone work on the global history of technology.This milestone history of technology, first published in 1990 and now revised and expanded in light of recent research, broke new ground by taking a global view, avoiding the conventional Eurocentric perspective and placing the development of technology squarely in the context of a "world civilization." Case studies include "technological dialogues" between China and West Asia in the eleventh century, medieval African states and the Islamic world, and the United States and Japan post-1950. It examines railway empires through the examples of Russia and Japan and explores current synergies of innovation in energy supply and smartphone technology through African cases.The book uses the term "technological dialogue" to challenges the top-down concept of "technology transfer," showing instead that technologies are typically modified to fit local needs and conditions, often triggering further innovation. The authors trace these encounters and exchanges over a thousand years, examining changes in such technologies as agriculture, firearms, printing, electricity, and railroads. A new chapter brings the narrative into the twenty-first century, discussing technological developments including petrochemicals, aerospace, and digitalization from often unexpected global viewpoints and asking what new kind of industrial revolution is needed to meet the challenges of the Anthropocene.

Technology in World Civilization: A Thousand-Year History

Most general histories of technology are Eurocentrist, focusing on a main line of Western technology that stretches from the Greeks is through the computer. In this very different book, Arnold Pacey takes a global view, placing the development of technology squarely in a "world civilization." He portrays the process as a complex dialectic by which inventions borrowed from one culture are adopted to suit another.Arnold Pacey is a physicist turned historian whose publications have contributed to the British appropriate-technology movement. He has written widely on science, technology, and agriculture. His previous books include The Maze of Ingenuity and The Culture of Technology.