A Companion to the Philosophy of Technology

The aim of philosophy of technology is to help us understandtechnology s complex interrelationships with the environment,society, culture and with our very existence. A Companionto the Philosophy of Technology is the first comprehensive,authoritative reference source for this burgeoning and increasinglyimportant field.

Drawing on groundbreaking new essays by a distinguished team ofmulti–disciplinary experts, A Companion to the Philosophy ofTechnology delves deeply into technology s impact on ourlives and on society. The essays both represent a variety ofepistemological approaches, including those of the humanities,social studies, natural science, sociology, psychology, andengineering sciences and reflect a diversity of philosophicaltraditions such as pragmatism, analytical philosophy, andphenomenology.

Erudite and authoritative, A Companion to the Philosophy ofTechnology is a major contribution to one of thefastest–growing and most vital areas of scholarship and studytoday.

Notes on Contributors xi

Introduction 1

Part I History of Technology 5

1 History of Technology 7
Thomas J. Misa

2 Definitions of Technology 18
Richard Li–Hua

3 Western Technology 23
Keld Nielsen

4 Chinese Technology 28
Francesca Bray

5 Islamic Technology 32
Thomas F. Glick

6 Japanese Technology 37
David Wittner

7 Technology and War 43
Bart Hacker

Part II Technology and Science 49

8 Technology and Science 51
Don Ihde

9 Science and Technology: Positivism and Critique 61
Hans Radder

10 Engineering Science 66
Louis L. Bucciarelli

11 Technological Knowledge 70
Anthonie W. M. Meijers and Marc J. de Vries

12 The Interplay between Science and Technology 75
Bart Gremmen

13 Instruments in Science and Technology 78
Mieke Boon

14 Social Construction of Science 84
Harry Collins

15 Social Construction of Technology 88
Wiebe E. Bijker

16 Theory Change and Instrumentation 95
Joseph C. Pitt

17 Biology and Technology 99
Keekok Lee

18 Nuclear Technologies 104
William J. Nuttall

19 Engineering Design 112
Peter Kroes

20 Cybernetics 118
Andrew Pickering

21 Chemistry and Technology 123
Helge S. Kragh

Part III Technology and Philosophy 129

22 Introduction: Philosophy and Technology 131
Val Dusek

23 Semiotics of Technology 141
Robert E. Innis

24 Critical Theory of Technology 146
Andrew Feenberg

25 Cyborgs 154
Evan Selinger

26 Simulation 157
Evan Selinger

27 Technology as Applied Science 160
Robert C. Scharff

28 Technological Artifacts 165
Peter–Paul Verbeek and Pieter E. Vermaas

29 Technical Practice 172
Bart Gremmen

30 Technological Pragmatism 175
Larry Hickman

31 Hermeneutics and Technologies 180
Don Ihde

32 Analytic Philosophy of Technology 184
Maarten Franssen

33 Technological Rationality 189
Lorenzo C. Simpson

34 Phenomenology and Technology 195
Iain Thomson

35 Expertise 202
Evan Selinger

36 Imaging Technologies 205
Don Ihde

37 The Critique of the Precautionary Principle and thePossibility for an Enlightened Doomsaying 210
Jean–Pierre Dupuy

38 Technology and Metaphysics 214
Jean–Pierre Dupuy

39 Large Technical Systems 218
Erik van der Vleuten

40 Sociotechnical Systems 223
Maarten Franssen and Peter Kroes

41 Information Technology 227
Luciano Floridi

Part IV Technology and Environment 233

42 Technology and Environment 235
Mary Tiles

43 The Precautionary Principle 248
Andy Stirling

44 Boundary–work, Pluralism and the Environment 263
Jozef Keulartz

45 Global Warming 270
Sir John Houghton

46 The Reinvention of CO2 as Refrigerant for Both Heating andCooling 276
Jan Hurlen

47 Environmental Science and Technology 280
Mary Tiles

48 Agriculture and Technology 285
John R. Porter and Jesper Rasmussen

49 The Built Environment 289
Christian Illies

Part V Technology and Politics 295

50 Technology and Politics 297
Evan Selinger

51 The Idea of Progress 303
Daniel Sarewitz

52 Technology and Power 308
Daniel Sarewitz

53 Technology and Culture 311
Lucien Scubla

54 Technology Management 316
Richard Li–Hua

55 Technology Strategy 321
Richard Li–Hua

56 Technology and Globalization 325
David M. Kaplan

57 Technology Transfer 329
Evan Selinger

58 Technology and Capitalism 333
David M. Kaplan

59 The Politics of Gender and Technology 338
Elisabeth K. Kelan

60 European Politics, Economy and Technology 342
Erik Jones

61 Asian Politics, Economy and Technology 347
Keekok Lee

62 US Politics, Economy and Technology 353
David M. Hart

63 Energy, Technology and Geopolitics 359
John R. Fanchi

Part VI Technology and Ethics 365

64 Technology and Ethics: Overview 367
Carl Mitcham and Katinka Waelbers

65 Agriculture Ethics 384
David M. Kaplan

66 Architecture Ethics 387
Warwick A. Fox

67 Biomedical Engineering Ethics 392
Philip Brey

68 Bioethics 397
Paul B. Thomson

69 Biotechnology: Plants and Animals 402
Bart Gremmen

70 Computer Ethics 406
Philip Brey

71 Consumerism 412
Edward J. Woodhouse

72 Development Ethics 416
Thomas Kesselring

73 Energy Ethics 422
Kirsten Halsnæs

74 Engineering Ethics 426
Christelle Didier

75 Environmental Ethics 433
Thomas Søbirk Petersen

76 Food Ethics 439
David M. Kaplan

77 Future Generations 442
Jesper Ryberg

78 Genethics 445
Nils Holtug

79 Technology and the Law 449
Richard Susskind

80 Media Ethics 452
Deni Elliott

81 Medical Ethics 455
Søren Holm

82 Nanoethics 459
John Weckert

83 Nuclear Ethics 462
Koos van der Bruggen

84 Religion and Technology 466
Carl Mitcham

85 Technology and Personal Moral Responsibility 474
Jesper Ryberg

86 Value–sensitive Design 477
Jeroen van der Hoven and Noemi Manders–Huits

Part VII Technology and the Future 481

87 Technology, Prosperity and Risk 483
Sven Ove Hansson

88 World Risk Society 495
Ulrich Beck

89 Risk Analysis 500
Sven Ove Hansson

90 Prosperity and the Future of Technology 502
William Sims Bainbridge

91 Converging Technologies 508
William Sims Bainbridge

92 Nanotechnology 511
Alfred Nordmann

93 Energy Forecast Technologies 517
John R. Fanchi

94 Biotechnology 523
Jennifer Kuzma

95 Transportation 532
Jonathan L. Gifford

96 Global Challenges 538
Jennifer Kuzma

97 Chemicals 546
Bruce E. Johansen

98 The Future of Humanity 551
Nick Bostrom

Index 558

Jan Kyrre Berg Olsen has a Ph.D. in Science Studies andteaches Theory of Science at the Faculty of Public Health,University of Copenhagen. He is the editor of various publications,including a Danish anthology on the concept of time in science and Philosophy of Technology: 5 Questions (2007).

Stig Andur Pedersen is Professor of Philosophy of Scienceat Roskilde University. He has published numerous papers on topicssuch as mathematical logic, mathematical modeling in biology,foundational studies of mathematics and physics, and philosophy ofmedicine and engineering. He is also the co–author of Philosophyof Medicine (1990) and has co–edited several volumes.

Vincent F. Hendricks holds two doctoral degrees inphilosophy, is Professor of Formal Philosophy at RoskildeUniversity, and the winner of the Danish Elite Research Prize 2008.His work has been influential on modern mathematical andphilosophical logic and concentrates primarily on bringingmainstream and formal approaches to epistemology together. He isthe author of numerous texts and papers in this field.