STS1411: Lecture 4.1 - Technology and Society Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering the concepts from STS1411 Lecture 4.1, including Technological Somnambulism, Forms of Life, and the critique of innovation ideology.

John Glenn

The astronaut who in $1962$ observed the difference between training in simulators and the "synthetic" experience versus the actual awe of being in space.

Philosophy of Technology

The critical examination of the nature and significance of artificial aids to human activity, which is often understudied compared to other philosophical fields.

Technological Somnambulism

A state of passive societal acceptance and reluctance to examine the impact of technological instruments, techniques, and systems on human life.

Hail the Maintainers

An argument by Russell and Vinsel that emphasizes maintenance, repair, and infrastructure over the dominant ideology of innovation.

Innovation

A term that replaced "Progress" in the $20^{\text{th}}$ century as a morally neutral concept used to describe technological change without necessarily expecting social improvement.

Disruptive Technologies

Technological changes and business practices intended to foster economic growth by creating a "gale of creative destruction" that outmodes older systems.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The vague mantra often repeated by tech wizards and disruptors in pursuit of innovation as an "erotic fetish."

Broken World Thinking

A shift in focus toward constant processes of entropy and the work done to slow or halt them, rather than the introduction of novel things.

Myth of Moral Neutrality

The belief that tools are neutral because focus is placed on human intent rather than the systemic effects technology has on transforming behavior and meaning.

Blind Social Contracts

Changes in society and human life that result from technological passivity and rebuilding life unknowingly through changing norms.

Technological Assessment Limitations

The inability to guide behavior responsibly because assessment usually occurs post-impact and assumes change is inevitable.

Forms of Life

A concept from Wittgenstein suggesting that language and tools are part of an activity, meaning technology becomes embedded in human identity and routines.

The Mechanical Tomato Harvester

A technology developed by the University of California that led to a lawsuit alleging the use of taxpayer funds to benefit private interests at the expense of small farms and workers.

Oligopolies Entrenchment

A social process where scientific knowledge, technological invention, and corporate profit reinforce political and economic power patterns.

Two Kinds of Choices (Winner)

The decision of whether or not to adopt a technology (yes/no) and the subsequent choices regarding specific features in the design or arrangement of that technical system.