PHL384H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter Sandler: Technological Determinism, Coevolution, Soft Law
Document Summary
Technological somnambulism: incorporating new technologies into our lives with little critical reflection on what the impacts will be. Some create social problems---mining technology: technology is always socially situated, it shapes our social and ecological world, example: conception of society shaped by technologies of communication, all of these alter our expectations. Don"t overstate the significance of emerging technologies: this closes off rather than advances ethical analysis. Truth of technological determinism is in historical trajectories and generalities: ethical evaluation is necessary to form judgements. Technology tends to afford power to those who access it: efficient power: power to accomplish things, need to take responsibility for power and develop ethics for it: example, ability to impact others. Efficient/material power translates into social or political power: this is relationship- relative to others within particular domain or activity, power to share digital media easily provided power to consumers, changing the music industry greatly.
