Philosophy of Technology: An Introduction skillfully guides readers through the core philosophical issues raised by technology's increasingly ubiquitous and powerful presence in society and our daily lives. Considering first the question of what technology is, Dusek goes on to address a wide range of concerns, including technocracy, technological rationality, technological determinism, and varieties of resistance to technology. Penetrating study questions at the end of each chapter provide the necessary tools to critically examine the nature of technology and its impact on our lives.

Ideal for undergraduate students in philosophy and science studies, Philosophy of Technology offers an engaging and comprehensive overview of a subject vital to our time.

Val Dusek is Professor of Philosophy at the University of New Hampshire. His recent publications include Holistic Inspirations of Physics: An Underground History of Electromagnetic Theory (1999) and Philosophy of Technology - The Technological Condition: An Anthology (co-edited with Robert C. Scharff, Blackwell 2003).

Introduction 1

1 Philosophy of Science and Technology 6

2 What Is Technology? Defining or Characterizing Technology 26

3 Technocracy 38

4 Rationality, Technological Rationality, and Reason 53

5 Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, and Technology 70

6 Technological Determinism 84

7 Autonomous Technology 105

8 Human Nature: Tool-making or Language? 112

9 Women, Feminism, and Technology 136

10 Non-Western Technology and Local Knowledge 156

11 Anti-technology: Romanticism, Luddism, and the Ecology Movement 176

12 Social Constructionism and Actor-network Theory 198

Bibliography 211

Index 234