Objective
The aim of the course is to develop students' appropriate conceptual framework and approach to dealing with the social and philosophical problems of technology. It focuses on presenting the development, risks and opportunities of technology. The topic is supported by case studies. Cases taken from science shed light on general issues of underdetermination. Medical case studies illustrate the difficulties and ethical issues of experimental design. Technical case studies illustrate the potential for technical development, technological confinement, and the difficulty of analyzing risks. The lesson also covers the topic of technological utopias and dystopias.
Topics
- Future of technology and humanity
- Technological determinism
- Social construction of technology
- Technological utopias and dystopias
- Technological catastrophes
- The nature of technology
- Technology Assessment
- Disruptive technologies, criteria for success
- Technological closeness, sunk investments, Collingridge dilemma
- Ethical questions of medical technologies
- Ethical questions of AI
- Nature of technological knowledge
Methodology of teaching
Lectures, oral and written communication.
Materials supporting learning
- Andrew Feenberg (2009): Democratic Rationalization: Technology, Power and Freedom. Readings in The Philosophy of Technology. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers Inc.
- Harry Collins és Trevor Pinch (2008): Dr. Golem: How to Think about Medicine. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- Harry Collins and Trevor Pinch (1998): The Golem: What You Should Know about Science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, second edition.
- Harry Collins and Trevor Pinch (1998): The Golem at Large: What You Should Know about Technology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- W. E. Bijker, T.P. Hughes and T. J. Pinch (eds) (1987) The Social Construction of Technological Systems. MIT Press.
The slides and notes, as well as the current dates are always avaialble in moodle: edu.gtk.bme.hu