Throughout history, technology has influenced societal issues. Some of these issues have been negative, while others have been positive. Understanding the relationship of technology to society is an important part of analyzing global change.
The relationship between science and technology reaches back to the earliest days of human civilization. From the beginning of the scientific revolution, science and technology directly impacted human culture.
The relationship between technology and society is generally viewed as symbiotic, co-dependent, and co-producer. As technology becomes more complex, these relationships are becoming more and more important.
There are two main traditions of philosophy of technology. One is the instrumentalist tradition, which posits technology as an expression of narrow technical rationality. The other is the new Luddite tradition, which seeks to mitigate the societal impacts of technology. Technologists are often ill-equipped to address these issues.
A philosopher of technology should aim to understand how the science and technology that is shaping society impacts culture. This means examining how technology is used, the impacts of different technological advancements, and how technology changes society.
The relationship between technology and society is a nebulous topic that can be challenging to address. Many countries struggle to agree on a centralized mechanism for developing norms. Adding to the challenges are the rise of network forms of organization. Technology is advancing at a rapid pace. This rapid pace makes it difficult to shape it.
As technology evolves, many countries are rethinking the rules governing technology exchange across national borders. Global cooperation is necessary to promote the spread of new technologies around the world.