Overview

Man is the measure of all things, an old saying goes. But it is a bad guide for understanding scientific and technological culture. Science and technology are not simply the means to reach human ends; they also actively shape human beings, their goals, meanings and social relations. This volume discusses the implications of this so-called ‘co-production’ of science, technology and society for our analytical as well as normative ideas about humanity, technology and the relations between both. Addressing issues such as cancer genetics, prenatal screening and ecological consequences of traffic and transport, contributors argue that technology has its own kind of sub-politics, which in turn calls for policies of technology: from steering and regulation to scenario studies, in order to achieve democratisation of technology.

Full Product Details

Author:   Hans Harbers
Publisher:   Amsterdam University Press
Imprint:   Amsterdam University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 16.00cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 24.00cm
Weight:   0.592kg
ISBN:  

9789053567562

ISBN 10:   9053567569
Pages:   312
Publication Date:   02 August 2005
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Adult education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   No Longer Our Product
Availability:   Awaiting stock  
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents - 6 Preface - 8 Introduction:Co-Production, Agency, and Normativity - 10 The Distribution of Agency - 28 Back to the Drawing Board: Inventing a Sociology of Technology - 30 Artifacts as Social Agents - 62 Diversity and Distributed Agency in the Design and Use of Medical Video-Communication Technologies - 86 The Mediation of Agency - 108 Choices and Choosing in Cancer Genetics - 110 Artifacts and Attachment:A Post-Script Philosophy ofMediation - 126 Art and Technology Playing Leapfrog:A History and Philosophy of Technoèsis - 148 The Politics of Agency - 170 Taking the Socio-Technical Seriously: Exploring the Margins for Change in the Traffic and Transport Domain - 172 Trapped in the Duality of Structure:An STS Approach to Engineering Ethics - 200 The Cultural Politics of Prenatal Screening - 230 Epilogue: Political Materials - Material Politics - 258 References - 274 About the Authors - 294 Index of Names - 298 Index of Subjects - 304

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Author Information

Hans Harbers is associate professor in philosophy of science, technology and society at the Department of Philosophy, Groningen University.

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