SOC 3116 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Jacques Ellul, Wiebe Bijker, Bakelite

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 3116
• Professor: Stephan Larose

Document Summary

Introduction to scot and bijker"s of bicycles, bakelites and bulbs levernia neyad. Impact of car on north american culture: criticizes james flint"s analysis as one sided and doesn"t focus on how technologically is. Technology seen as main agent of historical change, new tech. would transform society"s values, social structure and history. Three common assumptions: technology is seen as a separate sphere, independent from society, following its own internal or autonomous logic (obeying its own laws and principles, beyond any cultural or political influence, and then having impacts on society. Seen as a negative trait, to be deterministic" in sociology. Determinist and pessimistic technological autonomy reducing the human being to a slug inserted into a slot machine . Intellectually: simple cause-and-effects sequence, neglects human agency and social arrangements. Politically: uncritical embracing of tech. change, defensive adaptation to it, or simple rejection of it.