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Technology and Society

Technology and Society. Technology. It can be exhilarating and terrifying In general, the public supports technology in spite of disasters Chernobyl Challenger In general, most of us are poorly informed about how technology actually works

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Technology and Society

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  1. Technology and Society

  2. Technology • It can be exhilarating and terrifying • In general, the public supports technology • in spite of disasters • Chernobyl • Challenger • In general, most of us are poorly informed about how technology actually works • All technologies have some basic features in common

  3. Why study this stuff? • Our inability to perceive the effects of technology on our society is problematic • Driving Force of Social Change • Central Issue of Modern Life

  4. Why study this stuff? • Impact of Machines • printing press • Automobile • computers

  5. Why study this stuff? • Relationship to other dominant social institutions: • Military • Smart bombs • N.B.C. • Economic Productivity • Fortune 500 corporations (GE, IBM, etc.) • Richest Men (Gates, Allen, Ellison) • Medicine • Education

  6. Why study this stuff? • Linked to major Human accomplishments • The moon landing & the Hubble telescope • Human Genome Project • The internet • Hoover Dam • Pi to one MILLION decimal places

  7. Why study this stuff? • Linked to Major Problems • Global warming • Ozone depletion • Challenger disaster • Nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons • Overpopulation

  8. Why study this stuff? • Technology's rapid advance creates new concerns and problems • Computers & the internet … • Ethics & Quality of life … • The World System … • Social Conflict …

  9. Why study this stuff? • Computers & the internet • Expand our contacts, but result in social isolation • Sustaining economic development, and the Private Corporation • Central element in personal identity • Primary feature of both social integration and stratification.

  10. Why study this stuff? • Ethics & Quality of life • Abortion • Freedom and Privacy • Artificial Intelligence • Artificial Life

  11. Why study this stuff? • The World System • exploitation of the third world

  12. Why study this stuff? • Magnifies and Intensifies Social Conflict • Genetically modified foods • Location of Nuclear power plants • Eco-terrorism • etc.

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