The Ufail Approach
Unconventional Technologies and Their “Unintended” Effects
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20360412 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David W Agler (The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA,, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 103-112 |
| Publication date | 2010-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Bulletin of Science Technology & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0270-4676 • E-ISSN: 1552-4183 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0270467610361230 |
| OpenAlex | W1978975197 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 35 |
This essay presents the use-first-and-investigate-later (UFAIL) approach to technological use through two case studies: the atomic bomb in World War II and chemical defoliants during the Vietnam War. The methodology of UFAIL is as follows: despite limited understanding of an array of potential effects (medical, environmental, etc.), technology users employ a commitment to ex post facto investigations of these effects. In generalizing these cases, the essay argues (a) that failure to check rapid technological uptake will result in continued disaster and (b) the abatement of the negative consequences of UFAIL is a more tempered approach to the infiltration of technologies into society by rigorous and preemptive investigation into the potential effects of a technology
De facto · Economics · Engineering ethics · Law and economics · Political economy · Political science · Positive economics · Sociology · Unintended consequences · Engineering · Law · Nuclear Issues and Defense · Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
Why things bite back
Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life
The Vietnam War 1956-1975
The Epidemiologic Transition
Mirage of health
Agent Orange and the Vietnamese
Anatomy of a war
Technology and the character of contemporary life
Impact of chemical warfare with agent orange on women's reproductive lives in Vietnam
Health and safety in policing
A Propositional Inventory for New Diffusion Research
The Atomic Bomb
Competing Paradigms in the Assessment of Latent Disorders
Paradoxes of Technology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |