Technology Matters: Questions to Live with

I bought this as a required text for a course. But I have to say, Nye's commentary is so much better than that of my professor! It opened my eyes to politics, history, sociology, and psychology as much as it did to technology.

The title is one that will often elicit the response, "Well Duuuuh!", yet that should not be said with any great emphasis, for the content backs it up. Nye points out that if a society can be insular or universal it is possible for technological progress to be reversed. He cites the example of Japan, which rejected guns and contact with Western nations. The warrior class "forgot" the knowledge of how to make and use guns in favor of the more pure weapons of swords and the other Samurai tools of battle. However, once the American Commodore Perry sailed into Japanese waters to "convince" the Japanese leadership to open up the country, they understood that the days of isolation were over. The other example noted is that of Amish communities in the United States. These groups selectively filter new technologies, incorporating only the items that they believe will not dramatically alter their society. However, these two examples are very much the exception through human history. The Japanese islands remained free only because the western powers made no attempt to control them. It was the only country in Asia that was not made either a direct or de-facto colony of a Western nation in the latter part of the nineteenth century. The Amish maintain their insular culture only because they are part of a society that provides them the legal and social protection to do so. The global nature of the world has changed the situation; it is now possible for potential new technologies to be introduced slowly or not at all. Given the successes in cloning mammals, it is nearly certain that humans could be cloned. Yet, there appears to be universal agreement to delay or even ban the technology. Several nations possess the technical ability to build nuclear weapons but have decided that it is in their best interests not to do so. Nye also goes into a great deal of detail over the rise of new technologies and how many were slow to catch the attention of the masses. However, once the new technologies were adopted by large numbers of people, they caused dramatic change in society. The telegraph, telephone and the gasoline automobile were three items that many saw no need for when first introduced but are now staples of the world. Nearly all technologies have negative consequences and some have been introduced without a complete examination of the alternatives. The nuclear power plants built in the sixties and seventies are an example. I can recall the arguments made at that time in favor of these plants stating that the breeder reactors would create more fuel than they consume. Since then the problem has become what to do with this "waste" that will remain dangerously radioactive for centuries. The advance of technology is a very complex issue that needs to be met and analyzed in detail before it should be allowed to progress. Nye examines all of the issues surrounding technology introduction and develops an analysis of the problems that provide a glimmer o

This book outlines a brief history of technology and the social uses of each innovation. The interaction between technology and society cannot be ignored, which is a great consideration in this great monograph. Easily something to consider for the rest of your life.