Technological Determinism
Langdon Winner calls technological determinism "naive," because theviewpoint fails to take into consideration the impact of social andpolitical forces on the shaping of technological systems in society (63).Technology has no will of its own; it would be impossible to separate thepsychological, sociological, political, and economic influences on theinventor or engineer from the products that he or she creates. For example,an architect builds buildings according to the needs of the client and inaccordance with the building codes and environmental laws of the community.Moreover, the architect brings his or her own aesthetic sensibility to thedesign project, which in turn impacts the overall atmosphere and feel ofthe surrounding area. The type of design the architect chooses is equallyas informed by culture: a Chinese pagoda would probably not be built amonga row of track housing in a Detroit suburb, for example.
Just as an observerinherently alters the nature of that which is being observed, sociology,economics, and politics alter the nature of technology and vice-versa. With this example of architecture, it is easyto see how the social shaping of technology is a more plausible frameworkfor analyzing the relationship between technology and society than thedeterminist viewpoint. Technological determinism seeks simplicity: technology exists for itsown sake. Related to these economic influences ontechnology is also the availability of certain building materials. However, the creation of that weapon is also dependent on economicfactors; certain military-industrial complex corporations enjoy exclusivecontracts with governments so that their engineers and their materials willbe used in the design and construction processes. Certain segments of society will protest against thecreation of the weapon, which will lead to social and political divisionswithin the culture. Fromthis brief example from military culture, it becomes apparent that thesocial shaping of technology is more plausible than technologicaldeterminism; moreover, it illustrates the politics that also influencetechnology. Human minds and hands might mold technology from a practicalstandpoint but only the laws of science and of reason govern the evolutionof technological systems. Military technologiesdevelop for specifically political needs: the nation commissioning a newweapon, for instance, seeks that weapon for greater military dominance andpower. The relationship betweenneed and manifestation is not directly causal. Moreover, the creation of a new weapon will influence the way thesociety evolves. Computers and the military are examples of the mutuallyconstitutive nature of sociology and technology. Furthermore, thearchitect works within the budgetary parameters of his client and within aspecific time frame, both of which imply the economic factors that impactthe shaping of technology.
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