Technological Determinism: A Reductionist Theory

This article will compare the point of view of Gerhard Lenski, Leslie White and Alvin Toffler with respect to the evolution of technology. Gerhard Lenski’s perspective on the evolution of technology Sociologist Gerhard Lenski maintained that technological process has been the driving force in the evolution of human civilization; focusing on the societal and cultural basics of society. He viewed human society as something of a process of change involving a society’s level of modernization, communication, and scientific advances. In Gerhard Lenski’s point of view, it is a society 's level of technology that is critical for its survival. He viewed that civilization and technological process go hand in hand

Technological determinism is the theory that states the social and cultural value of a society is the product of its technology. Technology, whether it is in the form of a wheel or in the form of highly advanced software, has an enormous impact in our life. But while it is easy to think of technology as following a natural progression that affects our society, there are numerous sociological factors that, in turn, affect the development of technology as well. Technological determinism can be divided into two parts. The first part states that technological development takes place outside the society and follows its own course.

In the article “Where Are the Missing Masses? The Sociology of a Few Mundane Artifacts”, Bruno Latour explores how artifacts can be designed to shape human action and that technology mostly rely on human interaction to function. He argues that technologies shape the decisions we make, the effects our actions have, and the way we move through this world. Providing examples from the door closers, and engineers among others, Latour emphasize the importance of the interaction between humans and technology. He studies the relationship between humans (the creator) and machines (the creation) and shows how the use of technology can help achieve certain goals and values.

This is known as “The Culture Industry”. Within capitalists societies he observed the culture industry as a primary source of domination. With his ideas on the culture industry, Adorno’s goal was to showcase that within certain areas of

As technology becomes more advanced, human beings are further entrenched in this field of innovation. In fact, some have claimed that their dependence on it is so extreme that instead of using other means, they strive to eliminate its negative effects through more innovation (Dreyfuss). Such overdependence can be considered as an addiction. One of the most prominent changes that sparked this addiction was the Industrial Revolution, a boom in technological progress. During the Industrial Revolution, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a gothic novel that

What was the role of economics in driving changes resulting from the Neolithic and Industrial Revolutions? The Neolithic and Industrial revolutions were crucial to the advancement of economics. As a result of the Neolithic Revolution, the world began a transition from hunter-gathers to a more settled way of life. Through increases in population, settlements became towns and the dawn of civilization began. The economy impact from the Industrial Revolution was just as momentous.

Obnamia, Edielle Anne S. 4PHL Chapter two of this thesis would be dedicated to discussing Heidegger’s perception of the society. This is to set a background for the existentialism of Heidegger to be elucidated on the next chapter. It is important to restate the main problem of this thesis, and that is to find the connection between Martin Heidegger and Theodore Kaczynski regarding the problems brought about by technology in the Industrial Society in relation with man, as to reiterate the point that the bulk of this thesis is dedicated with discussing what Heidegger meant by technology, society and man. The point of dedicating a chapter for perception of society of Heidegger is because it is crucial in talking about Dasein and Seindes. The

This paper aims to shed light to the problems of the modern industrial society brought about by technology as supposed by Theodore Kaczynski. The paper would analyze Kaczynski’s stand on the matters of the society by contrasting and analyzing his thought with the existentialist thoughts of Martin Heidegger. This research shall tackle the three themes of existentialist philosophy, namely: freedom, anxiety and authenticity as found in the writings of Martin Heidegger in connection to the problems of the Industrial Society as presented by Theodore Kaczynski. The main focus of this research is on man and how he is affected by the changes in the technological advancements of the Industrial Society. The research shall answer the questions: What are

Britain, and Western Europe, as a whole, had the social prerequisites that were imperative to the development of this economic system. Several historical and structural factors favoured Britain in its endeavour to establish an economic system that relied on profit and productivity. The geographical conditions of Britain (abundance of coal, proximity to water sources, etc), along with its decision to import from the New World, while engaging its own population in more profit-oriented activities, facilitated the rapid development of industrial capitalism and modern industry. (Response to Pomeranz,

One of the most important concepts that defined the capitalist economy is the division of labor. Throughout the years, great philosophers such as Adam Smith, Max Weber, and Karl Marx have discussed theories that have drastically changed and molded the modern labor force. Thus, the ideal of labor division was created. Its purpose is to distribute labor skills amongst groups of people and by doing so it enabled workers to build products quickly. From this ideal, it allowed industries to expand their productivity and create trade on a global scale.