UGC2806 - Technology and Human Values

A man and a waterfall in Grand Canyon National Park. Photo courtesy Philip Greenspun

This course is a rather urgent response to a reality that increasingly engulfs you and me, who live in a modern city like Hong Kong. I find no better description of this reality than that of Robert K. Merton :

The technological society requires men to be content with what they are required to like; for those who are not content, it provides distractions - escape into absorption with technically dominated media of popular culture and communication. And the process is a natural one: every part of a technical civilization responds to the social needs generated by technique itself. Robert K. Merton, in the foreword of The Technological Society (1965) by Jacques Ellul

While lectures shall concentrate on the development of modern technological society, students are encouraged to think, talk and write about their own experience, and to discuss relevant contemporary news and incidents for deeper appreciation of the impact of technology on both individuals and society.

Course Schedule (2005)

Assessment Scheme

Introduction

Technological Society and Determinism

1. No Turning Back

The Origins and Dynamics of Technological Determinism

2. The Faith in Progress

Greek Worldview, European Worldview, Modern Worldview

3. Europe Charged Ahead

Humanism and Empiricism. Accumulation and Progress

4. The Cult of Efficiency

When Measures Become Ends

5. Industrialism

The Dominance of Big Corporations since Early 20thC

6. Professionalism

The Dominance of Professional Occupation

7. Technological Culture

Want more gadgets?

8. Media, Information and Education

Industrialization of Information Businesses

9. A Virtual Tour to Du Jian Yan

The Oldest Engineering Project Still in Operation Today

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  Dec 2004