Overview

"In previous books Arnold Pacey has written about the role of ideas and ideals in the creation of technology, about the global history of technology and about how the complex interaction of political, cultural, economic and scientific influences determine the course of technological practice. In ""Meaning in Technology"", he explores how an individual's sense of purpose and meaning in life can affect the shape and use of technology. Stressing that there is no hierarchy of meaning in technology, he argues that reductionism in interpreting technology in a human context, and for acknowledgement of the role of the human experience of purpose when it helps to express meaning in technology. In the first part of the book, Pacey analyzes the direct experience of technology by individuals - engineers, mathematicians, craft workers and consumers. He looks at music as a source of technology, at visual thinking, at tactile knowledge, and at the generation of social meaning. In the second part, he examines the contexts in which technology is used, relating technology to nature and society. he explores our sense of place and of our relationship with nature, environmental concerns, gender and creativity. He concludes with a discussion of the possibilities of a more people-centred technology - a participatory, ethical experience of technology that values people as well as their environment."

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Reviews

"""Meaning in Technology is a sensitive, sensible critique of outdated and ahistorical notions about technology as a suprahuman force transcending individual experiences and feelings."" - Howard P. Segal, Nature; ""Writing in a conversational style, Paley refreshingly advocates the personal experience of technology as an essential part of the larger public meaning....With many examples, Paley makes a convincing case for technology that values people as well as their environment."" - Laverna Saunders, Library Journal"""

Meaning in Technology is a sensitive, sensible critique of outdated and ahistorical notions about technology as a suprahuman force transcending individual experiences and feelings. - Howard P. Segal, Nature; Writing in a conversational style, Paley refreshingly advocates the personal experience of technology as an essential part of the larger public meaning....With many examples, Paley makes a convincing case for technology that values people as well as their environment. - Laverna Saunders, Library Journal

Author Information

Arnold Pacey is an Associate Lecturer at the Open University, Britain. He is the author of The Culture of Technology (MIT Press, 1983), Technology and World Civilization (MIT Press, 1991), and The Maze of Ingenuity, second edition (MIT Press, 1992).

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