Difference between revisions of "325--Week 1 Questions/Comments"
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I thought Langdon Winner's essay on technology and politics had boring arguments with interesting examples. Winner recognizes that its important to note the social system that technology is embedded into, but warns people have over-relied on that concept to ignore technology itself. I don't think that's true. The NY bridges example is demonstrative: to recognize the implications of the bridge, even Winner has to explain the original social context that the bridges were built into. | I thought Langdon Winner's essay on technology and politics had boring arguments with interesting examples. Winner recognizes that its important to note the social system that technology is embedded into, but warns people have over-relied on that concept to ignore technology itself. I don't think that's true. The NY bridges example is demonstrative: to recognize the implications of the bridge, even Winner has to explain the original social context that the bridges were built into. | ||
--Matt Struth | --Matt Struth | ||
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| + | I disagree with those who have written that in general, technology is progressive (in a good way) and that it isn't necessary to ask "Best for who?" These readings made me think of a science fiction short story I read when I was much younger. A feature of the plot was that technological elites in our society had already developed amazing new devices, like teleportation, but resisted sharing that technology for fear of putting truckers out of work. It makes you wonder- would teleportation be good or bad, and if you could create and release the technology would you do so? The benefits are obvious: life-saving medical applications (forget ambulances), super-easy and cheap vacations, etc. But so are the costs: not just lost jobs (which ultimately seems silly, because the economic benefits would easily outweigh) but also military applications. Asymmetric adoption of teleportation might lead some countries into wars they might otherwise have not fight. If India developed teleportation before Pakistan, what would stop them from teleporting nuclear weapons into Islamabad and disabling Pakistan's ability to retaliate (hopefully respect for human life)? This doesn't mean we should develop teleportation (or any new technology) but it does mean its important to put thought into how we implement it. I think this ultimately was the key idea in many of today's readings. -- Matt Struth | ||
