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POLS 410  LECTURE ONE
"TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL PROGRESS"

I.  Intellectual
  A. 19th C.:
     1.  Romantic (or transcendentalist) reactions to
		Enlightenment worldview all along; esp. 18-19th C's.
     2.  Utopian mvts.; Luddites; 
     3.  Socialism:  Marx (sort of)
     4.  Nietzsche:  modernity (esp. science) as will-to-power
  B. 20th C.
     1.  Weber:  rationalization (bureaucracy) & disenchantmt.
     2.  Heidegger:  ancient Greeks merged techne & poesis
     3.  Neo-Marxists (postwar):  Frankfurt School
	a.  Response to both fascism & communism
	b.  Critique of instrumental rationality
     4.  20th C. Physics:  Relativity & Quantum Mechanics
	a.  End of mechanistic worldview
	b.  All frames of ref. are relative (no objectivity)
	c.  Matter & energy are the same (undercut materialism)
 	    >> nuclear weapons
	d.  Matter is almost all empty space--more undercut!
	e.  Location of subatomic particles is indeterminate
     5.  Postwar literature:  rise of science fiction
	a.  Response to nuclear weapons, mass society, fast change,
 	    fascism, communism
	b.  Orwell, Huxley, Bradbury
     6.  Mainstream philosophy of science:  What makes good theory?
	a.  Kuhn (1962):  Paradigms = generally accepted 
    	    assumptions; many non-scientific factors influence acceptability
	b.  Science intellectually dethroned:  a social practice
	c.  >> Sociology of knowledge/science

II.  Social movements
  A. Peace & disarmament:  3 phases
 	1.  Nuclear Disarmament (50's-early 60s)
		Atomic scientists were key initiators
		Not response to A-bombs (fission), but H-bombs.
		Response to atmospheric testing, civil defense, MAD
		>> Partial Test Ban Treaty (1963)
 	2.  Anti-war-- Vietnam (1965-1972)
		High tech vs. low tech (McDermott article)
	     Automated air war against guerillas & peasants
		Mobilized society:  indus., universities
 	3.  Anti-nuclear (1970s-1990)
		Originally anti-nuclear power
		Response to military build-up of late 70s & 80s, especially
 		bellicose rhetoric of Reagan years
		Nuclear Freeze movement:  grassroots referendums
		Outspoken professionals:  PSR, ESR, CPSR; plus
		  church groups
		Connected with citizen diplomacy
  B. Environmental
         1.  Rachel Carson (1962):  local air & H2O pollution
		>> DDT, lead
 	2.  Problems caused by suburbanization, consumerism, car culture.
 	3.  New scientific discipline:  Ecology (interdisc.)
 	4.  U.S.:  1970 Envtl Protection Act >> EPA
 	5.  Intl:  1972 Stockholm >> UNEP
 	6.  1972-present:  globalization of envt'l crisis
     	-- Acid Rain, ozone, climate, biodiversity >> Rio.
  C.  Consumer (1970's)
 	1.  Who should take risks:  consumer or producer?
     	-- recalls, boycotts, new govt. agencies
	2.  Corporate responsibility
	    c.  Somewhat allied w/ envt'l mvt. (Nader, PIRGs)
	5.  Appropriate Technology -- ICs & DCs
    	a.  Linked to population, hunger, solidarity mvts.
	    b.  Humanistic and/or spiritual values combined w/
		pragmatic emphasis (Schmumacher, Lovins)
    	c.  w/ envt'l mvt. >> sustainable devt. (late 1980's)
	6.  Civil rights & labor mvts
    	a.  No fullscale critique of technology, but look at
		who controls
	7.  Feminist
    	a.  Who controls (sci & tech. male dominated)
    	b.  Deeper critique:  domination of women & nature linked;
 	    scientific rationality & technologic power linked to masculine
 	    gender identity.
	8.  Fundamentalist
    	a.  No clear critique of tech. among Western Christians, but strong
 	    anti-tech. perspective among most non-western fundamentalists.
	    b.  Skepticism re:  modern science among Christians

V.  Science & technology on the defensive for the 1st time 
  A.  Esp. in most advanced industrial countries
  B.  This is a major cultural shift in the last 20 years.

Readings

1.  What does Hardison mean when he says that sci. & tech. tend to be
 	universalizing?  Is it true?  

2.  He also says that technology leads to the "disappearance of history,"
 	which is a good thing?  What does he mean, & do you agree?

3.  Hardison also suggests that modern S&T are eliminating the "thingliness
 	of things," including human beings.  He optimistically suggests
 	that "silicon man" may one day replace "carbon man."  This could
 	"realize the age-old dream of the mystics of rising beyond the
 	prison of the flesh to behold a light so brilliant."  "Silicon life
 	will be immortal."  What do you think of his prediction?