New Directions in the Philosophy of Technology

In this collection we finally find the philosophy of technology, a young and rapidly developing area of scholarly interest, making contact with history of science and technology, and mainstream epistemological and metaphysical issues. The sophistication of these papers indicates the maturity of the field as it moves away from the advocacy of anti-technology ideological posturing toward a deeper understanding of the options and restraints technological developments provide.
The papers presented here take us over a threshold into the real world of complicated social and technological interactions where science and art are shown to be integral to our understanding of technological change, and technological innovations are seen as configuring our knowledge of the world and opening up new possibilities for human development. With its rich historical base, this volume will be of interest to all students concerned about the interactions among technology, society, and philosophy.

Discovery, Telescopes, and Progress. - Technology and Science-Based Heuristics. - To an Eye in a Fixed Position: Glass, Art, and Vision. - The Structure of Technological Revolutions and the Gutenberg Myth. - Paradigms and Paraphernalia: on the Relation Between Theory and Technology in Science. - Technology and Anaximander s Cosmical Imagination: A Case-Study for the Influence of Monumental Architecture on the Origins of Western Philosophy/Science. - Technological Values in the Applied Science Laboratory. - The Normative Implications of the Configuration of the Applied Sciences: A Comment on Thompson. - Reply to Heyboer. - Technological Neutrality and the Changing Normative Context of Applied Science Research. - Idealizations, Externalities, and the Economic Analysis of Law. - Techniques of Discovery: Broad and Narrow Characterizations of Technology.