Technology and Culture: An Anthology is a collection of essays compiled by editors Melvin Kranzberg and William Davenport. Each of these papers were previously submitted to the quarterly journal of the Society for the History of Technology entitled Technology and Culture. The editors wanted to focus on the history of technology. However, they realized that technology’s history would also have to be explored in the social and cultural context’s. Therefore, they compiled essays that reflected not only technology’s historical significance, but also its cultural and social importance.
The work is divided into four sections. The first deals with the interconnection between technology and society, as well as historical examples of their mutual influence. For instance, the last essay in the section by John G. Burke explores how society can control the usage of technology and correct its misuse. Specifically, he examines how the federal government usurped control over the usage of steam engines in water transportation. With the danger of steam engines’ boilers exploding, it brings to light a debate on to what extent can the government, and by extension society, control the production and usage of technology. Ultimately, this control is determined by society’s accessibility and attainment of …show more content…
None of them were written after 1967. This makes the readings and the analysis thereof to be extremely dated, especially when it comes to the impact of technology on the society of their time. Having the majority of the articles be originally published within a few years of each other allows little to no room for the perception of the history of technology to grow and evolve. In addition, considering that the book was published in 1972 and essays on space had already been published in the journal by that time, it is disappointing that there are not any articles dedicated to the technology of the space
The work is divided into four sections. The first deals with the interconnection between technology and society, as well as historical examples of their mutual influence. For instance, the last essay in the section by John G. Burke explores how society can control the usage of technology and correct its misuse. Specifically, he examines how the federal government usurped control over the usage of steam engines in water transportation. With the danger of steam engines’ boilers exploding, it brings to light a debate on to what extent can the government, and by extension society, control the production and usage of technology. Ultimately, this control is determined by society’s accessibility and attainment of …show more content…
None of them were written after 1967. This makes the readings and the analysis thereof to be extremely dated, especially when it comes to the impact of technology on the society of their time. Having the majority of the articles be originally published within a few years of each other allows little to no room for the perception of the history of technology to grow and evolve. In addition, considering that the book was published in 1972 and essays on space had already been published in the journal by that time, it is disappointing that there are not any articles dedicated to the technology of the space