Annotation
David E. Nye explores the cultural and social impacts of technology by asking ten questions, each with a devoted chapter: "What is technology? Is technology inherently deterministic, or is it inflected or even shaped by culture? Is technology predictable? How do historians understand technology? Does using modern technologies break down cultural differences, or does it increase them? What is the relationship between technology and nature? Do new technologies destroy jobs, or do they create new opportunities? How should societies choose new technologies? & Should 'the market' decide? Do advance technologies make life more secure, or do they expose humanity to escalating dangers? Does increasing use of technologies expand mental horizons, or does it encapsulate human beings in artifice?" In the eleventh and final chapter, "Not Just One Future", Nye decribes how we influence and can choose how technology matters.

~ Jocelyn Hubbell, Coordinator, Cornerstones of Science
7/14/2006