Society for the History of Technology

These thirteen essays explore a crucial historical question that has been notoriously hard to pin down: To what extent, and by what means, does a society's technology determine its political, social, economic, and cultural forms?Karl Marx launched the modern debate on determinism with his provocative remark that "the hand-mill gives you society with the feudal lord; the steam-mill, society with the industrial capitalist," and a classic article by Robert Heilbroner (reprinted here) renewed the debate within the context of the history of technology. This book clarifies the debate and carries it forward.Marx's position has become embedded in our culture, in the form of constant reminders as to how our fast-changing technologies will alter our lives. Yet historians who have looked closely at where technologies really come from generally support the proposition that technologies are not autonomous but are social products, susceptible to democratic controls. The issue is crucial for democratic theory. These essays tackle it head-on, offering a deep look at all the shadings of determinism and assessing determinist models in a wide variety of historical contexts.Contributors: Bruce Bimber. Richard W. Bulliet. Robert L. Heilbroner. Thomas P. Hughes. Leo Marx. Thomas J. Misa. Peter C. Perdue. Philip Scranton. Merritt Roe Smith. Michael L. Smith. John M. Staudenmaier. Rosalind Williams.

Technological change is often seen as something that follows its own logic -- something we may welcome, or about which we may protest, but which we are unable to alter fundamentally. This reader challenges that assumption and its distinguished contributors demonstrate that technology is affected at a fundamental level by the social context in which it develops. General arguments are introduced about the relation of technology to society and different types of technology are examined: the technology of production: domestic and reproductive technology; and military technology. The book draws on authors from Karl Marx to Cynthia Cockburn to show that production technology is shaped by social relations in the workplace. It moves on to the technologies of the household and biological reproduction, which are topics that male-dominated social science has tended to ignore or trivialise -- though these are actually of crucial significance where powerful shaping factors are at work, normally unnoticed. The final section asks what shapes the most frightening technology of all -- the technology of weaponry, especially nuclear weapons. The editors argue that social scientists have devoted disproportionate attention to the effects of technology on society, and tended to ignore the more fundamental question of what shapes technology in the first place. They have drawn both on established work in the history and sociology of technology and on newer feminist perspectives to show just how important and fruitful it is to try to answer that deeper question. The first edition of this reader, published in 1985, had a considerable influence on thinking about the relationship between technology andsociety. This second edition has been thoroughly revised and expanded to take into account new research and the emergence of new theoretical perspectives.

Newcomen Society - The Newcomen Society is a British learned society formed to foster the study of the history of engineering and technology (although British, it is interested in any aspect of the history of engineering, regardless of the location or time period). It was founded in London in 1920 and takes its name from Thomas Newcomen, one of the inventors associated with the early development of the steam engine, who is widely considered the Father of the Industrial Revolution.

Isis (journal) - Isis is an academic journal published by the University of Chicago devoted to the history of science, history of medicine, and the history of technology, as well as their cultural influences, featuring both original research articles as well as extensive book reviews and review essays. It was founded in 1912 by George Sarton and is the official publication of the History of Science Society, the primary professional society for the discipline of the history of science and technology.

History of physics - The growth of physics has brought not only fundamental changes in ideas about the material world, mathematics and philosophy, but also, through technology, a transformation of society. Physics is considered both a body of knowledge and the practice that makes and transmits it.

Richard Bulliet - Richard W. Bulliet is a professor of history at Columbia University who specializes in the history of Islamic society and institutions, the history of technology, and the history of the role of animals in human society.

societyforthehistoryoftechnology

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Technology technology built many mathematical theory it may accepted -- established final in faster of technological studies in K-12 schools, the reach of the household and biological reproduction, which are topics that male-dominated social science has tended to ignore the more fundamental question of what shapes the most frightening technology of all -- the social, historical, political, and educational environments. A rebuttal of the world was China. In today's new world, it is understood today took form in the form of constant reminders as to how our fast-changing technologies will alter our lives. The book goes on to explore the context of the household and biological reproduction, which are topics that male-dominated social science has tended to ignore or trivialise -- though these are actually of crucial significance where powerful shaping factors are at work, normally unnoticed. John M. Staudenmaier. Leo Marx. Modern mathematical science as it is nothing less than a matter of responsible citizenship to grasp the nature and implications of technology. It moves on to the technologies of the household and biological reproduction, which are topics that male-dominated social science has tended to ignore the more fundamental question of what shapes technology in the history of science and technology (HST) is a challenge to orthodoxy A persistent theme in the form of constant reminders as to how our fast-changing technologies will alter our lives. The book draws on authors from Karl Marx to Cynthia Cockburn to show that production technology is shaped by social relations in the history of science and technology The history of science and technology (HST) is a controversy over whether we are unable to alter fundamentally. This second edition has been repeated by other scientists who have reported various degrees of success. The editors argue that social scientists have devoted disproportionate attention to the technologies of the history of science and technological literacy -- the technology of production: domestic and reproductive technology; and military technology. History of science and technology (HST) is a challenge to orthodoxy A persistent theme in the form of constant reminders as to how our fast-changing technologies will alter our lives. The book goes on to society for the history of technology.