Week3 - Marx and Technological Determinism



Technological determinism according to me is an aggressive term that has been attributed to technology that dictates social and cultural advancement. And as understood from various sources, technological determinism comes in two variants  –  “hard” and “soft” (Paul S. Adler, 2006). The opposite of determinism has been generally termed as  “free will”  in literature (Van Inwagen, 1975). So in case of  “hard technological determinism”,  free will  and determinism cannot co-exist while it can in case of “soft”.

Wikipedia says: Technological determinism is a  reductionist theory that presumes that a society's  technology drives the development of its social structure and cultural values. The term is believed to have been coined by  Thorstein Veblen (1857–1929), an American sociologist. The most radical technological determinist in the United States in the twentieth century was most likely  Clarence Ayres who was a follower of  Thorstein Veblen and  John Dewey. William Ogburn was also known for his radical technological determinism.

Class Readings
1. Kline, R. R. (2001). “Technological Determinism.” In Smelser, N. J., Baltes, P. B. (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, Oxford: Pergamon Press (Elsevier Science). Sciencedirect Link

2. Technological Determinism, Tapia, 1997

Homework
Write a single, coherent essay. Discuss the basic elements of modern technological determinism, both the hard and soft versions. Critique technological determinism. Explain how you have used technological determinism in your own work, or may use it in future work. Connect it with your own research interests.

My writeup Here

Comments on the Homework Here

Other Resources in Class
Webbography - Various other online resources on Technological Determinism