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TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY. Unit 2 – Technological Change – Winners and Losers. TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY. Two myths regarding technological change Technology can function w/out altering existing society Technological solutions are better than social or political solutions. TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY.
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TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY Unit 2 – Technological Change – Winners and Losers
TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY • Two myths regarding technological change • Technology can function w/out altering existing society • Technological solutions are better than social or political solutions
TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY • Technological Change • Some changes small; others massive • Economy affected • Pony Express vs. telegraph • Skype vs. telephone • Concern has always been present…. • “Railroads, if they succeed, will give an unnatural impetus to society, destroy all the relations that exist between people, overthrow regulations, and create all sorts of confusion and distress.” (Muller, 1800’s)
TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY • Effects of technological change • Australian aborigines and stone axe • Gender, missionaries, etc. • Caliente, Nevada – steam engine locomotive
TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY • Defending against technological change • Luddites – smashed stocking frames… • Silk industry in China • Technological success/failure • Outside factors play a role – nuclear power/AIDS research in the 1980’s
TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY • The Technological “Fix” • Is technology used as a solution to other problems? Sure! • Vaccinations to cure diseases/addictions • Seat belts and air bags in cars • Stronger paint chemicals to resist graffiti • Don’t solve the root of the problem though (drug abuse, car accidents, vandalism)
TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY • So, why can’t technology fix society? • Fundamentally different goals • Assembling a car - very defined….solving poverty – ambiguous • Permanent solutions? • Artifical heart transplants keep people alive BUT….they’re expensive, aging population, are we playing God, etc.?