Environmental, Social, Legal, Ethical and Geopolitical Considerations

Technological System Technologies are not isolated, separate devices An individual technology becomes workable only when it is one part of a larger system (the whole is greater than the sum of its parts) Examples: washing machine, missile

Example of Technological Impacts Stirrups and feudal society Once you can fight well from a horse, then you need a way to support this expensive way of waging battle (so, must realign society to support elite mounted warriors) Changing technology is one of many factors that affects society: political, economic, and cultural forces also exert influence

Does Society Always Choose the Best Technology Apple OS and Linux vs. DOS/Windows Power Generation (coal fired, nuclear, wind, solar, etc.)

Impact of Engineering From who does the engineering, and what kind of tasks they do, to what kind of influence do they have… Just talked a little bit about who does the engineering. Now, what is it they actually do?

“Do Artifacts Have Politics?” by Langdon Winner How is the “goodness” of a technology measured? Contributions to efficiency and productivity And also… Positive and negative environmental side effects Manner in which they facilitate or re-establish certain power structures When is stuff more than just stuff? First line of article” In controversies about technology and sopciety, there is no idea more provitactive than the notion that technical things have political qualities

“It’s not the technology; it’s how it’s used” A “thing” can’t have politics Technology is neither inherently good nor bad People have politics, and people use the technology to achieve certain ends The social or economic system in which the technology exists is more important Fair enough in that we need to look beyond the social impact of a technology. We also need to look beginf techniucal things to see the social circumstances of their development, deployment, and use.

New York City (Long Island) Bridges then…

And now.

The Hutchinson Parkway

Inventions as Extension of Social Order Example: Overpasses on the Long Island parkways Over 200 of them As little as nine feet of clearance Built to discourage the presence of buses on the parkways Buses are public transportation: class issues Builder (Robert Moses) also blocked extension of the Long Island Railroad to provide Jones Beach access

Design for Politics Example: Broad boulevards of Paris. Built by Napolean Prevent street fighting Example: UT Austin student union public space Built in 1960’s and 1970’s Prevent student riots Example: Soviet architecture. Large plazas Broad boulevards Huge scale of blocks, government buildings Soviet: non user friendly. Awe inspiring. Larger than life scale. Literally. unapproachable

Myth of Efficiency as Motivator Technological Application has many justifications McCormick factory example, pneumatic molding machines. Inferior quality at higher cost. Installed to force high skilled, unionized workers out. Not all designing for social uses is intentional Not all intentional: activists for the disabled

How Do We Measure “Good?” Or “Better?” Economic costs and benefits: jobs created, income generated, etc. Environmental impacts pollutants distributed, cancers created Risks to public health and safety exposure to natural disaster impact, “unsafe at any speed” “Consequences for the form and quality of human associations”

Choices are Made, or, We Make Choices Importance of introductory stages of a technology Every decision is based on assumptions -- often unexamined assumptions Centralized vs. decentralized technologies

Consequences of Technology