Research in Philosophy and Technology, vol. 9

TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE Book Reviews 1137 Between these two discussions, Hickman describes: Dewey’s antifoundationalist , contextual (but not relativist) theory of inquiry and his characterization of technology as productive inquiry; the relation­ ship between aesthetics and technology, given Dewey’s critique of the distinction between the fine and practical arts as accidental, not essential; Dewey’s analysis of philosophies of technology, primarily in the Classical period and in the period 1600—1900; Dewey’s rejection of a hierarchical relationship between theory, practice, and produc­ tion in favor of the mutual interpenetration of the three, with the corollary that science is a particular kind of productive technology, rather than technology being applied science; and Dewey’s rejection of technological determinism in favor of the view that technology is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for social change—concrete human decisions are needed for that. Hickman’s study provides compact access to Dewey’s dispersed discussions of technology, in the process restoring Dewey’s visibility as a philosopher of technology at least as worthy of our attention as Mumford and Ellul. Whether Dewey’s philosophy of technology is a viable one is now exposed to wider criticism. In particular, whether the concrete contexts of inquiry that provoke technological action can also be the ground of objective judgments of right/wrong, good/bad, courses of technological action remains in dispute. If they cannot, then it is hard to see how Dewey’s philosophy of technology can avoid being merely instrumentalist and “radically relativist,” as Hickman says that it does. Steven L. Goldman Dr. Goldman is Andrew W. Mellon Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at Lehigh University, where he is a member of the history and philosophy departments. His recent research has focused on engineering education and practice and the role of engineering in innovation. He is currently at work on a monograph on the philosophy of engineering. Research in Philosophy and Technology, vol. 9: Ethics and Technology. Edited by Carl Mitcham and Frederick Ferré. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI, 1989. Pp. xviii + 306; references. $58.50. Few problems today are as important as the relationship between our expanding technological powers and the ethical predispositions and imperatives that might regulate and civilize those powers. Thus publication of the most recent volume in the Research in Philosophy and Technology series is welcome, given its focus on ethics and technology. This theme has taken on special urgency because of the proliferation of technologies fraught with moral ambiguities, an increase in public awareness of ethical problems, and the insistent prodding of techno­ logical and environmental disasters. 1138 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE To the task of exploring this vital territory the editors bring an impressive record of erudition and an ambitious set of goals. In his inaugural statement as general editor, Frederick Ferré stresses that the philosophy of technology must be broadly conceived in terms of subject and method; this requires an editorial policy “respectful of a healthy pluralism,” yet capable of fostering authentic advances in the philosophic enterprise (pp. x—xi). Guest editor Carl Mitcham cites the need to gather in one volume articles representative of the full spectrum of situations in which ethics and technology are involved, again not for mere diversity’s sake, but as part of an “expanding interdisciplinary effort” oriented toward “interrelationships and pos­ sibilities of synthesis” (pp. xvii—xviii). The text itself is divided into two main sections. The first includes fifteen articles, alphabetically organized by author. Following Mitcham’s initial principle, these cover a wide variety of topics: robotics, nuclear weaponry, space exploration, “convivial” technology, biotechnics, and so on. They also embody a range of philosophical approaches, from the evolutionary epistemology (and optimism) of Paul Levinson to the austere dialectics of Jacques Ellul. I was particularly impressed by Anthony Weston’s “Ivan Illich and the Radical Critique of Tools.” In clear and precise prose, Weston analyzes the strengths and weaknesses in Illich’s position, making good use—rare in this section—of allusions to the history of technol­ ogy. In another probing essay, Ellul employs his theory of technique to dismiss traditional strategies in ethical thought as holdovers from the pretechnical past. He then argues for creation of a new existential

Action (physics) · Criticism · Determinism · Epistemology · Instrumentalism · Philosophy of science · Philosophy of technology · Political science · Relation (database) · Relativism · Sociology · Technological determinism · Cognitive Science and Education Research · Computer Science · Law · Philosophy