A Companion to the Philosophy of Technology

Jan Kyrre Berg Olsen has a Ph.D. in Science Studies and teaches Theory of Science at the Faculty of Public Health, University of Copenhagen. He is the editor of various publications, including a Danish anthology on the concept of "time" in science and Philosophy of Technology: 5 Questions (2007).
 
Stig Andur Pedersen is Professor of Philosophy of Science at Roskilde University. He has published numerous papers on topics such as mathematical logic, mathematical modeling in biology, foundational studies of mathematics and physics, and philosophy of medicine and engineering. He is also the co-author of Philosophy of Medicine (1990) and has co-edited several volumes.
 
Vincent F. Hendricks holds two doctoral degrees in philosophy, is Professor of Formal Philosophy at Roskilde University, and the winner of the Danish Elite Research Prize 2008. His work has been influential on modern mathematical and philosophical logic and concentrates primarily on bringing mainstream and formal approaches to epistemology together. He is the author of numerous texts and papers in this field.

Drawing on essays from leading international and multi-disciplinary scholars, A Companion to the Philosophy of Technology is the first comprehensive and authoritative reference source to cover the key issues of technology's impact on society and our lives.
* Presents the first complete, authoritative reference work in the field
* Organized thematically for use both as a full introduction to the field or an encyclopedic reference
* Draws on original essays from leading interdisciplinary scholars
* Features the most up-to-date and cutting edge research in the interdisciplinary fields of philosophy, technology, and their broader intellectual environments

The aim of philosophy of technology is to help us understand technology's complex interrelationships with the environment, society, culture-and with our very existence. A Companion to the Philosophy of Technology is the first comprehensive, authoritative reference source for this burgeoning and increasingly important field.

Notes on Contributors xi
 
Introduction 1
 

Part I History of Technology 5
 
1 History of Technology 7
Thomas J. Misa
 
2 Definitions of Technology 18
Richard Li-Hua
 
3 Western Technology 23
Keld Nielsen
 
4 Chinese Technology 28
Francesca Bray
 
5 Islamic Technology 32
Thomas F. Glick
 
6 Japanese Technology 37
David Wittner
 
7 Technology and War 43
Bart Hacker
 
Part II Technology and Science 49
 
8 Technology and Science 51
Don Ihde
 
9 Science and Technology: Positivism and Critique 61
Hans Radder
 
10 Engineering Science 66
Louis L. Bucciarelli
 
11 Technological Knowledge 70
Anthonie W. M. Meijers and Marc J. de Vries
 
12 The Interplay between Science and Technology 75
Bart Gremmen
 
13 Instruments in Science and Technology 78
Mieke Boon
 
14 Social Construction of Science 84
Harry Collins
 
15 Social Construction of Technology 88
Wiebe E. Bijker
 
16 Theory Change and Instrumentation 95
Joseph C. Pitt
 
17 Biology and Technology 99
Keekok Lee
 
18 Nuclear Technologies 104
William J. Nuttall
 
19 Engineering Design 112
Peter Kroes
 
20 Cybernetics 118
Andrew Pickering
 
21 Chemistry and Technology 123
Helge S. Kragh
 
Part III Technology and Philosophy 129
 
22 Introduction: Philosophy and Technology 131
Val Dusek
 
23 Semiotics of Technology 141
Robert E. Innis
 
24 Critical Theory of Technology 146
Andrew Feenberg
 
25 Cyborgs 154
Evan Selinger
 
26 Simulation 157
Evan Selinger
 
27 Technology as "Applied Science" 160
Robert C. Scharff
 
28 Technological Artifacts 165
Peter-Paul Verbeek and Pieter E. Vermaas
 
29 Technical Practice 172
Bart Gremmen
 
30 Technological Pragmatism 175
Larry Hickman
 
31 Hermeneutics and Technologies 180
Don Ihde
 
32 Analytic Philosophy of Technology 184
Maarten Franssen
 
33 Technological Rationality 189
Lorenzo C. Simpson
 
34 Phenomenology and Technology 195
Iain Thomson
 
35 Expertise 202
Evan Selinger
 
36 Imaging Technologies 205
Don Ihde
 
37 The Critique of the Precautionary Principle and the Possibility for an "Enlightened Doomsaying" 210
Jean-Pierre Dupuy
 
38 Technology and Metaphysics 214
Jean-Pierre Dupuy
 
39 Large Technical Systems 218
Erik van der Vleuten
 
40 Sociotechnical Systems 223
Maarten Franssen and Peter Kroes
 
41 Information Technology 227
Luciano Floridi
 
Part IV Technology and Environment 233
 
42 Technology and Environment 235
Mary Tiles
 
43 The Precautionary Principle 248
Andy Stirling
 
44 Boundary-work, Pluralism and the Environment 263
Jozef Keulartz
 
45 Global Warming 270
Sir John Houghton
 
46 The Reinvention of CO2 as Refrigerant for Both Heating and Cooling 276
Jan Hurlen
 
47 Environmental Science and Technology 280
Mary Tiles
 
48 Agriculture and Technology 285
John R. Porter and Jesper Rasmussen
 
49 The Built Environment 289
Christian Illies
 
Part V Technology and Politics 295
 
50 Technology and Politics 297
Evan Selinger
 
51 The Idea of Progress 303
Daniel Sarewitz
 
52 Technology and Power 308
Daniel Sarewitz
 
53 Technology and Culture 311
Lucien Scubla
 
54 Technology Management 316
Richard Li-Hua
 
55 Technology Strategy 321
Richard Li-Hua
 
56 Technology and Globalization 325
David M. Kaplan