Overview

What is the relationship between democracy and technology? And what should that relationship be? This book explores these questions, drawing upon a range of philosophical, historical and sociological points of view. In stark contrast to technology's promise as a wellspring of equality, freedom and self-government, its development now poses a host of problems for political society: an alarming concentration of power over global production, a widening gap between rich and poor, multiple environmental crises, trivialization of politics in the mass media, decline of citizen competence in decision making, and the disproportionate influence of scientific and technical elites. As the writers discuss these issues, they investigate new avenues for democratic politics, possibilities that emerge as modernist ideas about progress, justice and the common good lose their ability to guide contemporary though and action. This work should be of interest to philosphers, political scientists, those doing research on technology and society, engineers studying human factors, environmental scientists and sociologists.

Full Product Details

Author:   L. Winner ,  P. T. Durbin
Publisher:   Springer
Imprint:   Springer
Edition:   1992 ed.
Volume:   9
Dimensions:   Width: 21.00cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 29.70cm
Weight:   1.180kg
ISBN:  

9780792319955

ISBN 10:   0792319958
Pages:   239
Publication Date:   30 November 1992
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

I The Nature of the Problem.- Technology, Power, and Truth: Political and Epistemological Reflections on the Fourth Revolution.- Technology and Democracy.- Mechanical Dreams: Democracy and Technological Discourse in Twentieth-Century France.- II Some Proposed Solutions.- Marxism and the Democratic Control of Technology.- Populism and the Cult of the Expert.- Autonomous Technology, Democracy, and the Nimbys.- Technology, Bayesian Policymaking, and Democratic Process.- The Nuts and Bolts of Democracy: Democratic Theory and Technological Design.- III Historical and Cultural Reflections.- Instrumentalists and Expressivists: Ambiguous Links Between Technology and Democracy.- Politics, Progress, and Engineering: Technical Professionals in Russia.- Heidegger on Technology and Democracy.- The Moral Assessment of Technology.- Political Morality under Radical Conditions.- Name Index.

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