|
|||||
|
Info/Contact for David Akin
Search this blog:
Login
Who pays for this blog? I receive no fees, considerations, etc. etc. for the posts on this blog nor do I have any plans to accept any. My salary is paid by Canwest Global Communications Corp. I work for that company as the Ottawa-based National Affairs Correspondent for Canwest News Service. The blog publishing platform used here is called Blogware and it's developed by Tucows Inc. of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. My use of Blogware should not be taken as an endorsement of that company. Like all Blogware users, I do not pay any fees for the use of this service. I participate in program. Google pays me some money and, for that, I give Google some space on this site to display ads. Google sells those ads and Google, not me, decides what advertising content you are seeing. I do not filter these ads and take no responsibility for them. Readers should not assume I endorse any of the products or services advertised here. If you think other disclosures are appropriate in this space, I'd like to hear from you. All of my contact details are always at www.davidakin.com You can read more about this section |
Re: Andrew Feenberg, technology, and democracy
by
Sean Calder
I have to agree 100% with this statement. Technologies exist, or are developed to fill a certain need and/or requirement of society; for better or for worse. As such, Technology is not inherently innocent or neutral.
Take a gun for instance (I use this example not only because it's so frequently used, but it's one most people can understand), and the arguement you quoted earlier in your post here. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Wrong. Guns kill people when in the hands of people who intend to kill other people. The gun becomes the vessel through which the intent of the person is projected.
Why was a gun designed? In the large scope of things, what is it's purpose? To kill, to maim, to injure, to subdue. A more efficient means of defeating your opponent in combat. In general terms, these actions are negative (evil) actions. Therefore, logic follows that to design and create an object through which such actions are made simpler, makes said technology negative (evil). Or, in the context of your article David, value inherent.
I will agree too, however, that there are neutral intended technologies. Items such as an axe which was designed to fell trees, but which could also be taken and used in negative (evil) action. Items such as the clock which performs a very simple and neutral task in and of itself, but if taken and combined with certain psychological factors and intent, can be turned into something nefarious, as difficult as that might be. In the end, Neurtal Intent is not Neutrality of Technology.
|
Recent Comments
Top Stories This Month
Month Archive
|
|||
|
|||||

