Does Technology Drive History? by Merritt Roe Smith

Does Technology Drive History? by Merritt Roe Smith

These thirteen essays explore a crucial historical questionthat has been notoriously hard to pin down: To what extent, and by what means, does a society's technology determine itspolitical, social, economic, and cultural forms?

These thirteen essays explore a crucial historical question that has been notoriously hard to pin down: To what extent, and by what means, does a society's technology determine its political, social, economic, and cultural forms? Karl Marx launched the modern debate on determinism with his provocative remark that the hand-mill gives you society with the feudal lord; the steam-mill, society with the industrial capitalist, and a classic article by Robert Heilbroner (reprinted here) renewed the debate within the context of the history of technology. This book clarifies the debate and carries it forward.Marx's position has become embedded in our culture, in the form of constant reminders as to how our fast-changing technologies will alter our lives. Yet historians who have looked closely at where technologies really come from generally support the proposition that technologies are not autonomous but are social products, susceptible to democratic controls. The issue is crucial for democratic theory. These essays tackle it head-on, offering a deep look at all the shadings of determinism and assessing determinist models in a wide variety of historical contexts.

Contributors
Bruce Bimber, Richard W. Bulliet, Robert L. Heilbroner, Thomas P. Hughes, Leo Marx, Thomas J. Misa, Peter C. Perdue, Philip Scranton, Merritt Roe Smith, Michael L. Smith, John M. Staudenmaier, Rosalind Williams

Jill Ker Conway is a visiting scholar and professor at MIT. She was president of Smith College for ten years. Her latest book is When Memory Speaks. Kenneth Keniston is Andrew Mellon Professor of Human Development at MIT. His most recent book is The Fragile Contract. Leo Marx is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of American Cultural History (emeritus) at MIT. His most recent book, edited with Bruce Mazlish, is Progress: Fact or Illusion?

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780262691673
ISBN 10	0262691671
Title	Does Technology Drive History?
Author	Merritt Roe Smith
Series	Does Technology Drive History?
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	MIT Press Ltd
Year published	1994-06-02
Number of pages	298
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.