Understanding Technology and Society

Seminal Questions and Enduring Insights

AvTodd L. Pittinsky

Inbunden, Engelska, 2025

995 kr

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Häftad

309 kr

Beskrivning

From the early days of navigating the world with bare hands to harnessing tools that transformed stones and sticks, human ingenuity has birthed science and technology. As societies expanded, the complexity of our tools grew, raising a crucial question: Do we control them, or do they dictate our fate? The trajectory of science and technology isn't predetermined; debates and choices shape it. It's our responsibility to navigate wisely, ensuring technology betters, not worsens, our world. This book explores the complex nature of this relationship, with 18 chapters posing and discussing a compelling 'big question.' Topics discussed include technology's influence on child development; big data; algorithms; democracy; happiness; the interplay of sex, gender, and science in its development; international development efforts; robot consciousness; and the future of human labor in an automated world. Think critically. Take a stand. With societal acceleration mirroring technological pace, the challenge is, can we keep up?

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2025-07-10
Mått:224 x 148 x 143 mm
Vikt:453 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:254
Förlag:Cambridge University Press
ISBN:9781316512982

Utforska kategorier

Psykologi inom Psykologi och pedagogik
Informationsteknik: allmänt inom Data och IT
Sociologi inom Samhälle och politik

Mer om författaren

Todd L. Pittinsky is a Professor in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Stony Brook University (SUNY). He is the author, co-author, or editor of nine books, and his research has been profiled in leading outlets including the Economist and National Public Radio.

Innehållsförteckning

Introduction; 1. Which disciplines are concerned with the intersections of science, technology, and society? What are some of their core contributions?; 2. Do science and technology shape society or does society shape science and technology?; 3. Where do scientific and technological innovation come from? Can innovation be deliberately promoted or do we just have to wait for the light bulbs to go off?; 4. When and how do new technologies spread through society? Why do some die on the vine?; 5. What can we learn by comparing the combination of science, technology, and society in different parts of the world and at different times in history?; 6. Can technology be inherently good or bad for society, or is that a matter of what we do with it?; 7. How can one be a savvy consumer of increasingly complex scientific research?; 8. Do children develop differently in a digitally saturated world? Is digital technology helping children thrive-or stunting them?; 9. What is 'big data' and why does it make such a big difference?; 10. Do algorithms make wise and fair decisions?; 11. Are new technologies beneficial to liberal democracy and good governance-or wreaking havoc on them?; 12. Does technological progress make people happier?; 13. What has the relationship between sex and gender and science and technology been-and what might it be?; 14. What are digital divides and why do they matter?; 15. How do science and technology impact international development, and how might they lead to a more sustainable global community?; 16. Will AI be conscious?; 17. Will the AI robot economy be a golden age or a dystopian era?; 18. Will AI create great art? Appendix: A note on format.