Ethics and Technology
technology and Society – Technological Innovation as Social Process
Technological change is a genuinely social process: people matter. New technologies are made, used, and maintained by people. Conversely, technologies are shaping people, society, economy, politics, world views, as well as moral and cultural norms. Technologies and societies coevolve, currently, in the past, and in the future. In the form of two lectures and hands-on exercises, students will get a basic insight into an exciting field of study. Part one of this session is a lecture on Technological Innovation as a Social Process. Part two addresses the question of How political is technology (with a special focus on SDGs).
WORKSHOP: Societal Challenges and Technological Innovation in Long-Term Perspective
In this workshop, we focus on the role of technology, or perhaps better the role of technological innovation in the context of problems that society considers as most pressing (see list of SDGs). As we will see in this workshop, our understanding of what is most pressing and how it could be solved by technological innovation has changed heavily over the course of the twentieth century. While in the three decades after WW II, scientific experts and engineers played a leading role in setting the agenda, the 1970s saw the rise of a more participative approach to formulate and solve pressing issues in society. This workshop is split into three parts: during the first part, we'll discuss important developments in the field from a long-term perspective. In the second part, you will have the chance to work on a short group exercise related to the workshop’s theme. In the third part, prepare the TTA workshop on 24th of October.