Living in a Technological Culture: Introduction to Science and Technology Studies Part 1

Full course description

“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

These words of Albert Einstein are more valid today than ever. The complexities of today's societies and the relationships between them are manifold and not easy to handle. Einstein's plea to look at them in a different way is exactly what this course is about. The course aims to change your perspective on the world, so that you find that ‘the stuff of the world' can be thought about in new ways that offer opportunities for interventions and passageways for improvement. After all, making a difference requires more than decisiveness: it requires thinking in new ways, thinking 'out of the box'. And that is exactly what this course aims to do by introducing you to the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS).

In the field of STS science and technology are considered as socio-cultural phenomena. You will be introduced to this field on basis of two courses. In Period 1 (this course) we focus on the interrelationship between technology and society, while in Period 2 (HUM3049: Science, Power, and the Construction of Facts) we take a next step and zoom in on the constitution and application of science and its relations with society. This means that in both cases we will pay attention to the social, cultural, historical, political, and economic conditions that influence the development and application of science and technology.

In the field of STS, science and technology are considered as a socio-cultural phenomenon. You will be introduced in the STS in two courses. In the first course (this one) we will focus on interrelation between technology and society, while in period 2 (HUM3049: Science, Power, and the Construction of Facts), we take the next step and zoom in on the constitution and application of science and its relations with society. This implies that in both cases we will pay attention to the social, cultural, historical, political, and economic conditions that impact the development and application of science and technology.

To teach you the STS perspective we will unpack technologies, such as artificial intelligence and geoengineering, and the impact of the convergence of nano-, bio-, ICT and the cognitive sciences. We will also take a closer look at more mundane, everyday technologies (e.g., park benches, the refrigerator, electric shaver, and bicycles). Besides a focus on the multiple ways in which technology, individuals and institutions mutually shape one another to the benefit and sometimes detriment of society, we will also pay attention to the political and moral dimensions of technologies.

Theoretically, we will discuss different perspectives on technological development in relation to society. On the one hand, the standard perspective sees technology largely as a process of applied science that simply results from previous scientific advances. In our daily routines, we also tend not to think much about the making of science and technology, usually their use does not merit serious reflection either. Once things are made or discovered, our interaction with them is considered a simple matter. We grab our cell phone, take some funny pictures with it, listen to music, tweet some details about what we are doing and where we are, and chat with our friends. We get on a plane, fly from point A to point B, and get off again. Although we are surrounded by the results of scientific endeavors and technologies of various kinds, they have become almost invisible, and we take them for granted.

STS scholars, on the other hand, argue that we live in a technological culture. Technology and science are shaping society, from shaping mobility patterns, gender, and sexual identities to the standardization of healthcare practices. Cell phones have changed the meaning of "being alone"; organ transplantation has redefined our understanding of life; and AI is changing the way we are creative. So, technologies are not only helping us in our daily lives; they are also powerful forces that are reshaping our activities and meaning. Conversely, there is also a cultural influence on technology. Therefore, to understand technology, it is important to recognize their sociocultural basis. Historical and comparative studies have shown how different sociocultural conditions produce very different forms and contents of science and technology. After all, science and technology are themselves cultures.