Technology As Human Social Tradition

Author : Peter David Jordan
Publisher : Univ of California Press
Page : 425 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2014-11-24
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780520958333

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Technology as Human Social Tradition by Peter David Jordan Pdf

Technology as Human Social Tradition outlines a novel approach to studying variability and cumulative change in human technology—prominent research themes in both archaeology and anthropology. Peter Jordan argues that human material culture is best understood as an expression of social tradition. In this approach, each artifact stands as an output of a distinctive operational sequence with specific choices made at each stage in its production. Jordan also explores different material culture traditions that are propagated through social learning, factors that promote coherent lineages of tradition to form, and the extent to which these cultural lineages exhibit congruence with one another and with language history. Drawing on the application of cultural transmission theory to empirical research, Jordan develops a descent-with-modification perspective on the technology of Northern Hemisphere hunter-gatherers. Case studies from indigenous societies in Northwest Siberia, the Pacific Northwest Coast, and Northern California provide cross-cultural insights related to the evolution of material culture traditions at different social and spatial scales. This book promises new ways of exploring some of the primary factors that generate human cultural diversity in the deep past and through to the present.

Author : Andrew Feenberg
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 1991
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : UOM:39015021517928

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Critical Theory of Technology by Andrew Feenberg Pdf

This pathbreaking book argues that the roots of the degradation of labor, education, and the environment lie not in technology per se but in the cultural values embodied in its design.

Author : Andrzej Piotr Wierzbicki
Publisher : Springer
Page : 317 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2014-07-25
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9783319090337

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Technen: Elements of Recent History of Information Technologies with Epistemological Conclusions by Andrzej Piotr Wierzbicki Pdf

The book expresses the conviction that the art of creating tools – Greek techne – changes its character together with the change of civilization epochs and co-determines such changes. This does not mean that tools typical for a civilization epoch determine it completely, but they change our way of perceiving and interpreting the world. There might have been many such epochs in the history of human civilization (much more than the three waves of agricultural, industrial and information civilization). This is expressed by the title Technen of the book, where n denotes a subsequent civilization epoch. During last fifty years we observed a decomposition of the old episteme (understood as a way of creating and interpreting knowledge characteristic for a given civilization epoch) of modernism, which was an episteme typical for industrial civilization. Today, the world is differently understood by the representatives of three different cultural spheres: of strict and natural sciences; of human and social sciences (especially by their part inclined towards postmodernism) and technical sciences that have a different episteme than even that of strict and natural sciences. Thus, we observe today not two cultures, but three different episteme. The book consists of four parts. First contains basic epistemological observations, second is devoted to selected elements of recent history of information technologies, third contains more detailed epistemological and general discussions, fourth specifies conclusions. The book is written from the cognitive perspective of technical sciences, with a full awareness – and discussion – of its differences from the cognitive perspective of strict sciences or human and social sciences. The main thesis of the book is that informational revolution will probably lead to a formation of a new episteme. The book includes discussions of many issues related to such general perspective, such as what is technology proper; what is intuition from a perspective of technology and of evolutionary naturalism; what are the reasons for and how large are the delays between a fundamental invention and its broad social utilization; what is the fundamental logical error (using paradoxes that are not real, only apparent) of the tradition of sceptical philosophy; what are rational foundations and examples of emergence of order out of chaos; whether civilization development based on two positive feedbacks between science, technology and the market might lead inevitably to a self-destruction of human civilization; etc.

Author : Wiebe E. Bijker,Thomas Parke Hughes,Trevor Pinch
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 471 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2012-05-18
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9780262517607

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The Social Construction of Technological Systems, anniversary edition by Wiebe E. Bijker,Thomas Parke Hughes,Trevor Pinch Pdf

An anniversary edition of an influential book that introduced a groundbreaking approach to the study of science, technology, and society. This pioneering book, first published in 1987, launched the new field of social studies of technology. It introduced a method of inquiry—social construction of technology, or SCOT—that became a key part of the wider discipline of science and technology studies. The book helped the MIT Press shape its STS list and inspired the Inside Technology series. The thirteen essays in the book tell stories about such varied technologies as thirteenth-century galleys, eighteenth-century cooking stoves, and twentieth-century missile systems. Taken together, they affirm the fruitfulness of an approach to the study of technology that gives equal weight to technical, social, economic, and political questions, and they demonstrate the illuminating effects of the integration of empirics and theory. The approaches in this volume—collectively called SCOT (after the volume's title) have since broadened their scope, and twenty-five years after the publication of this book, it is difficult to think of a technology that has not been studied from a SCOT perspective and impossible to think of a technology that cannot be studied that way.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 164 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 1989
Category : Food industry and trade
ISBN : STANFORD:36105112404194

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Proceedings of a Workshop Harnessing Traditional Food Technology for Development by Anonim Pdf

Author : Marcel Mauss
Publisher : Berghahn Books
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 2006-03
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781571816627

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Techniques, Technology and Civilization by Marcel Mauss Pdf

"It seems that Mauss's fame has grown in inverse proportion to knowledge of his actual writings. It should therefore be a matter of celebration that his occasional writings on techniques and technology have been published in English...when we look more closely at what Mauss did and did not do, his iconic status may be somewhat tarnished. But his general example still has the power to inspire, and maybe that is what counts." - JRAI "The appearance of these two essays... in English for the first time attests to the continuing interest in Marcel Mauss and the fact that re-readings of his work still provide not only fertile ground for new interpretations of the Durkheimian school in general, but also a source of inspiration for scholars approaching Mauss as a remarkably contemporary voice still speaking in many ways to current issues in sociology and anthropology." - Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute Marcel Mauss's writings on techniques and technology are at the forefront of an important anthropological and sociological research tradition, and they also highlight the theoretical and ideological challenges surrounding this field of study. A selection of Mauss's texts - including his major statements on methodology, on body techniques, on practical reason, on nation and civilisation, on progress, and so forth - are here translated and presented together for the first time, with a discussion of their context, impact and implications. This book will interest scholars and students dealing with the French sociological tradition, and also more generally those concerned with technology and material culture studies in archaeological, anthropological or contemporary settings. Nathan Schlanger coordinates the AREA project (Archives of European Archaeology) at the INHA, Paris. He has published on prehistoric archaeology, on the technological contributions of Mauss and Leroi-Gourhan, and on the history of archaeology in colonial (African) contexts.

Author : Peter J. Richerson,Morten H. Christiansen
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 499 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2024-04-30
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9780262551908

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Cultural Evolution by Peter J. Richerson,Morten H. Christiansen Pdf

Leading scholars report on current research that demonstrates the central role of cultural evolution in explaining human behavior. Over the past few decades, a growing body of research has emerged from a variety of disciplines to highlight the importance of cultural evolution in understanding human behavior. Wider application of these insights, however, has been hampered by traditional disciplinary boundaries. To remedy this, in this volume leading researchers from theoretical biology, developmental and cognitive psychology, linguistics, anthropology, sociology, religious studies, history, and economics come together to explore the central role of cultural evolution in different aspects of human endeavor. The contributors take as their guiding principle the idea that cultural evolution can provide an important integrating function across the various disciplines of the human sciences, as organic evolution does for biology. The benefits of adopting a cultural evolutionary perspective are demonstrated by contributions on social systems, technology, language, and religion. Topics covered include enforcement of norms in human groups, the neuroscience of technology, language diversity, and prosociality and religion. The contributors evaluate current research on cultural evolution and consider its broader theoretical and practical implications, synthesizing past and ongoing work and sketching a roadmap for future cross-disciplinary efforts. Contributors Quentin D. Atkinson, Andrea Baronchelli, Robert Boyd, Briggs Buchanan, Joseph Bulbulia, Morten H. Christiansen, Emma Cohen, William Croft, Michael Cysouw, Dan Dediu, Nicholas Evans, Emma Flynn, Pieter François, Simon Garrod, Armin W. Geertz, Herbert Gintis, Russell D. Gray, Simon J. Greenhill, Daniel B. M. Haun, Joseph Henrich, Daniel J. Hruschka, Marco A. Janssen, Fiona M. Jordan, Anne Kandler, James A. Kitts, Kevin N. Laland, Laurent Lehmann, Stephen C. Levinson, Elena Lieven, Sarah Mathew, Robert N. McCauley, Alex Mesoudi, Ara Norenzayan, Harriet Over, Jürgen Renn, Victoria Reyes-García, Peter J. Richerson, Stephen Shennan, Edward G. Slingerland, Dietrich Stout, Claudio Tennie, Peter Turchin, Carel van Schaik, Matthijs Van Veelen, Harvey Whitehouse, Thomas Widlok, Polly Wiessner, David Sloan Wilson

Author : James B. Cuffe
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2019-11-28
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781351727495

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China at a Threshold by James B. Cuffe Pdf

Once the world’s most technologically advanced civilisation, China is poised to yet again take this mantle, having made incredible technological strides over recent decades; but what does this in fact mean? What will this mean for Chinese society, and what ramifications might it have for the future? This book offers an account of social change under the growing influence of communications technology in media-saturated urban China. The challenges presented by the rise of technology and its pervasive nature in the mediation of all facets of everyday life pose questions not just for Chinese society but for all contemporary media societies. Drawing on theories from the philosophy of technology and conceptual tools from political anthropology, this title moves beyond debates surrounding mediative technology as a liberating or malevolent force. China at a Threshold addresses academic concerns surrounding communications technology and state control, looking for an interpretative approach to understand the role media might play in social change so that we might ascertain its impact on social relations. Urging a reconsideration in our understanding of technology as neither liberative nor oppressive, the author advances a proposal that brings social forces into play in their own right. Taking inspiration from thinkers in philosophy and anthropology, this title investigates storytelling and liminal characters as real agents in social change so that we might identify alternative forces for change not reducible to technological impact or human proclivity.

Author : Jerry Weinberger,Arthur M. Melzer,Richard Zinman
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Page : 355 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2019-05-15
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9781501744662

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Technology in the Western Political Tradition by Jerry Weinberger,Arthur M. Melzer,Richard Zinman Pdf

This well-integrated group of thirteen papers addresses the intriguing and perplexing issue of whether modern government can handle the problem of technology.

Author : Donald A. MacKenzie,Judy Wajcman
Publisher : Milton Keynes ; Philadelphia : Open University Press
Page : 327 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 1985-01-01
Category : Technology
ISBN : 0335150276

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The Social Shaping of Technology by Donald A. MacKenzie,Judy Wajcman Pdf

Author : Karol Jan Borowiecki,Neil Forbes,Antonella Fresa
Publisher : Springer
Page : 322 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2016-05-02
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9783319295442

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Cultural Heritage in a Changing World by Karol Jan Borowiecki,Neil Forbes,Antonella Fresa Pdf

The central purpose of this collection of essays is to make a creative addition to the debates surrounding the cultural heritage domain. In the 21st century the world faces epochal changes which affect every part of society, including the arenas in which cultural heritage is made, held, collected, curated, exhibited, or simply exists. The book is about these changes; about the decentring of culture and cultural heritage away from institutional structures towards the individual; about the questions which the advent of digital technologies is demanding that we ask and answer in relation to how we understand, collect and make available Europe’s cultural heritage. Cultural heritage has enormous potential in terms of its contribution to improving the quality of life for people, understanding the past, assisting territorial cohesion, driving economic growth, opening up employment opportunities and supporting wider developments such as improvements in education and in artistic careers. Given that spectrum of possible benefits to society, the range of studies that follow here are intended to be a resource and stimulus to help inform not just professionals in the sector but all those with an interest in cultural heritage.

Author : Wiebe E. Bijker,Thomas Parke Hughes,Trevor Pinch
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 471 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2012-05-18
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9780262300872

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The Social Construction of Technological Systems, anniversary edition by Wiebe E. Bijker,Thomas Parke Hughes,Trevor Pinch Pdf

An anniversary edition of an influential book that introduced a groundbreaking approach to the study of science, technology, and society. This pioneering book, first published in 1987, launched the new field of social studies of technology. It introduced a method of inquiry—social construction of technology, or SCOT—that became a key part of the wider discipline of science and technology studies. The book helped the MIT Press shape its STS list and inspired the Inside Technology series. The thirteen essays in the book tell stories about such varied technologies as thirteenth-century galleys, eighteenth-century cooking stoves, and twentieth-century missile systems. Taken together, they affirm the fruitfulness of an approach to the study of technology that gives equal weight to technical, social, economic, and political questions, and they demonstrate the illuminating effects of the integration of empirics and theory. The approaches in this volume—collectively called SCOT (after the volume's title) have since broadened their scope, and twenty-five years after the publication of this book, it is difficult to think of a technology that has not been studied from a SCOT perspective and impossible to think of a technology that cannot be studied that way.

Author : International Council of Scientific Unions. Committee on the Teaching of Science
Publisher : Pergamon
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 1987
Category : Science
ISBN : UOM:39015019181976

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Science and Technology Education and Future Human Needs by International Council of Scientific Unions. Committee on the Teaching of Science Pdf

Science and Technology Education and Future Human Needs is a collection of papers that tackle concerns in the education of future scientists, particularly concerns in identifying techniques and resource material.

Author : Nathan J. Keirns,Heather Griffiths,Eric Strayer,Susan Cody-Rydzewski,Gail Scaramuzzo,Tommy Sadler,Sally Vyain,Jeff D. Bry,Faye Jones
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2015-04-24
Category : Sociology
ISBN : 1947172905

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Introduction to Sociology 2e by Nathan J. Keirns,Heather Griffiths,Eric Strayer,Susan Cody-Rydzewski,Gail Scaramuzzo,Tommy Sadler,Sally Vyain,Jeff D. Bry,Faye Jones Pdf

"Introduction to Sociology 2e adheres to the scope and sequence of a typical, one-semester introductory sociology course. It offers comprehensive coverage of core concepts, foundational scholars, and emerging theories, which are supported by a wealth of engaging learning materials. The textbook presents detailed section reviews with rich questions, discussions that help students apply their knowledge, and features that draw learners into the discipline in meaningful ways. The second edition retains the book's conceptual organization, aligning to most courses, and has been significantly updated to reflect the latest research and provide examples most relevant to today's students. In order to help instructors transition to the revised version, the 2e changes are described within the preface."--Website of text.

Author : Paul Daugherty,H. James Wilson
Publisher : Harvard Business Press
Page : 152 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2022-04-26
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781647821098

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Radically Human by Paul Daugherty,H. James Wilson Pdf

Technology advances are making tech more . . . human. This changes everything you thought you knew about innovation and strategy. In their groundbreaking book, Human + Machine, Accenture technology leaders Paul R. Daugherty and H. James Wilson showed how leading organizations use the power of human-machine collaboration to transform their processes and their bottom lines. Now, as new AI powered technologies like the metaverse, natural language processing, and digital twins begin to rapidly impact both life and work, those companies and other pioneers across industries are tipping the balance even more strikingly toward the human side with technology-led strategy that is reshaping the very nature of innovation. In Radically Human, Daugherty and Wilson show this profound shift, fast-forwarded by the pandemic, toward more human—and more humane—technology. Artificial intelligence is becoming less artificial and more intelligent. Instead of data-hungry approaches to AI, innovators are pursuing data-efficient approaches that enable machines to learn as humans do. Instead of replacing workers with machines, they're unleashing human expertise to create human-centered AI. In place of lumbering legacy IT systems, they're building cloud-first IT architectures able to continuously adapt to a world of billions of connected devices. And they're pursuing strategies that will take their place alongside classic, winning business formulas like disruptive innovation. These against-the-grain approaches to the basic building blocks of business—Intelligence, Data, Expertise, Architecture, and Strategy (IDEAS)—are transforming competition. Industrial giants and startups alike are drawing on this radically human IDEAS framework to create new business models, optimize post-pandemic approaches to work and talent, rebuild trust with their stakeholders, and show the way toward a sustainable future. With compelling insights and fresh examples from a variety of industries, Radically Human will forever change the way you think about, practice, and win with innovation.