Beyond Engineering: How Society Shapes Technology
We have long recognized technology as a driving force behind much historical and cultural change. Now, in Beyond Engineering, science writer Robert Pool turns the question around to examine how society shapes technology. Drawing on such disparate fields as history, economics, risk analysis, management science, sociology, and psychology, Pool illuminates the complex, often fascinating interplay between machines and society, in a book that will revolutionize how we think about technology. We tend to think that reason guides technological development, that engineering expertise alone determines the final form an invention takes. But if you look closely enough at the history of any invention, says Pool, you will find that factors unrelated to engineering seem to have an almost equal impact. In his wide-ranging volume, he traces developments in nuclear energy, automobiles, light bulbs, commercial electricity, and personal computers, to reveal that the ultimate shape of a technology often… More >>
Beyond Engineering: How Society Shapes Technology
Tagged with: Beyond • Engineering • Shapes • Society • Technology
This book has a potentially fascinating theme but the author did not carry it out very well. A great deal of emphasis on nuclear power and little original on anything else.
The author admits that he originally started out to write a book on the nuclear power industry. It is obvious that that is where his interest and knowledge lie. I found myself skipping over lots of the details of the history of this industry. His stories and observations about the origin of the electric light bulb and other inventions by Thomas Edison don’t seem very profound and have been told elsewhere. Time and again he seemed to be leading the reader to a hypothesis, theory, or conclusion, but then fizzled out on it. I would recommend skimming this book and looking for the few stories or subjects that you might be interested in.
The author does make a case for examining a technology in its infancy in order to best plan how society should use it, but, given market forces and corporate greed as it is today, this is very unlikely to happen.
Despite the fact that this book may cause the casual reader to want to gloss over the details of the history of the A-bomb or nuclear reactors or even of electricity, for a young PhD Research Engineer such as myself, it gives greater meaning to research. In fact, it has been instrumental in spurring me towards a career in science policy and/or technology transfer, or something that involves the integration of science, policy, and business (a pursuit currently under way). The point is very clear – the best technology does not always win. This underscores the need for more technologists to understand the non-technical factors involved in product or process commercialization and to respect the democratic process, rather than being aloof about the “goodness” of “pure science”.
Review by Ying Ki Kwong of Portland, Oregon, USA. This book makes very intereting connections between societal forces and technological development. The author attempts to make his points by examining a range of technology areas and industries. Readers interested in the history of technology and science and the philosophy of science will find this book very interesting. The book’s coverage of the history of nuclear reactor technology and the electrical power industry in the U.S. is thorough and well presented. However, I do not find its account of other industries nearly as thorough. For example, the attempt to incorporate the software industry to support the main thesis was not sophisticated, possibly weakening the author’s point in some instances. Still, this is probably justified by the author’s desire to connect with a greater readership. The opening chapter introduces the philosophical concepts of rationalism and relativism. The two extremes constitute excellent reference frames to examine the history of various technology types and industries. I am slightly disappointed that the larger topic of philosophical inquiry (namely rationalism vs. relativisim) is not addressed beyond this, especially when the complex intereplay between technology and society has finally been established after significant efforts.
I think this book is a wakeup call for society – for all of us to re-evaluate ourselves and recognize the role we play in the evolution of technology. I think the author brings out such a valid point of the complexity of technology, and as a scientist/engineer myself, I find it refreshing, and not a burden, to think up new ideas and view my field in light of what effect society could/would have on it, instead of just what effect it could have on society. I personally think some of the detail on nuclear power could have been avoided without the reader missing the point (but I guess you can’t disregard the hand (publisher) that feeds you). I also draw attention to another book, Biomimicry by Janine Benyus, which makes the point that nature provides a model for scientific innovation. If nature was our map, then the complex picture of technology that Pool paints could be a lot clearer and brighter.