Technology and the social order

Course description

The concept `social order¿ usually refers to an interrelated set of social, cultural, political and economic factors that constitute a system or structure. As such it has been variously theorized and examined by a number of significant philosophers, sociologists and historians. In this course we focus on technology as one of its constituting elements and explore the relations between technology and the social order. We are interested in gaining familiarity with the range of interpretive visions regarding their relation, which includes variations on the themes of technological determinism, social shaping, mediation, co-production and hybridity. But we will also examine both the philosophical presuppositions and commitments behind these various interpretive frameworks and consider the consequences of adopting them both for interpreting the past and advising for the future.

Contact: Dr.L.L. Roberts