Technology and Society

by Hjorth, Linda S.; Eichler, Barbara A.; Khan, Ahmed S.; Morello, John A.

• ISBN13: 9780131194434
• ISBN10: 0131194437
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-01-30
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

The accomplishments of the 20th century are revolutionizing science and technology in the 21st century. In the last decade alone the global society has experienced an explosion of knowledge in science, engineering, medicine, and technology. As a result, the world seems to be reinventing itself faster than ever. It took the Industrial Revolution two hundred years to make the world, but it took the Electronic Revolution only seventy years to remake it. With the speed of technological change seen so far in the 21st century, from biotechnology to nanotechnology, the reinvention process may even be faster still. The changes brought about by technology will lead to a significant impact on society. The stakeholders, policy shapers, and decision makers of the future need to be educated about the social implications of technology so that they can guide society to the appropriate uses of technology, alert society to technological failures, and provide a vision to society in helping to solve societal problems in a wise and humane manner.

Table of Contents

History of Technology	p. 2
Introduction	p. 3
The Great Leap Forward	p. 15
"George"	p. 25
"The New George"	p. 27
Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones...But Bronze and Iron Can Create a Civilization	p. 29
The History of Energy	p. 31
The History of Exology	p. 33
The History of Climatology	p. 35
The History of Ethics	p. 37
Conclusion	p. 39
Internet Exercise	p. 39
Ethics and Technology	p. 42
Introduction	p. 43
Ethics	p. 45
The Relationship Between Ethics and Technology	p. 63
The Unanticipated Consequences of Technology	p. 70
The Future of Food: An Introduction to the Ethical Issues in Genetically Modified Foods	p. 80
Whistle-Blowing	p. 84
Roger Boisjoly, Chief Engineer at Morton Thiokol	p. 86
Nuclear Warriors	p. 88
Scenarios	p. 98
Conclusion	p. 100
Internet Exercises	p. 100
Energy	p. 102
Introduction	p. 103
Fossil Fuel Fundamentals	p. 112
Energy for a New Century	p. 128
The Immortal Waste	p. 130
Oil and Blood: The Way to Take Over the World	p. 142
Fuel Cells and the Hydrogen Economy	p. 146
The Hydrogen Experiment	p. 152
Biomass Energy	p. 161
Solar Energy	p. 165
Wind Power	p. 171
Hydroelectric Power	p. 176
The Electric Car Arrives-Again	p. 183
Chernobyl	p. 193
Tasman Spirit Oil Spill	p. 198
Scenarios	p. 203
Conclusion	p. 205
Internet Exercises	p. 206
Ecology	p. 216
Introduction	p. 217
The Grim Payback of Greed	p. 237
Climate Change	p. 244
The Kyoto Protocol	p. 260
Young at Risk: Dioxins and Other Hazardous Chemicals	p. 267
Fisheries Exploiting the Ocean-What Will Be Left?	p. 280
What Will Happen to the Endangered Species Act?	p. 288
Air Poisons Around the World	p. 295
Rain Forests May Offer New Miracle Drugs	p. 305
Buried Displeasure: Love Canal and One Person Who Made a Difference	p. 310
Europe's Black Triangle Turns Green	p. 314
Scenarios	p. 321
Conclusion	p. 328
Internet Exercise	p. 329
Population	p. 332
Introduction	p. 333
Interpreting the Current Population Data	p. 354
Putting the Bite on Planet Earth	p. 370
Can the Growing Human Population Feed Itself?	p. 377
A Ten-Year Progress Report of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo: 1994-2004	p. 382
World Birth Control Discussion Issues	p. 390
Fertility Rates: The Decline Is Stalling	p. 398
The Hazards of Youth	p. 404
Earth's Carrying Capacity: Not Quite So Easy When Applied to Humans	p. 408
Probably One: A Generation Comes of Age Under China's One-Child Policy	p. 413
Japan's Unpopular Pill-An Unrealized Battle Victory	p. 417
Scenarios	p. 419
Conclusion	p. 421
Internet Exercises	p. 422
War, Politics and Technology	p. 426
Introduction	p. 427
More War in a Moment, But First, a Word from Our Sponsors	p. 430
Tanks: The Evolution of Mechanized Warfare	p. 432
Extreme Makeover: The New U.S. Army: Leaner, But Meaner?	p. 435
The F-22: The Plane Even Congress Couldn't Shoot Down	p. 437
The Human Face of War	p. 440
Agent Orange	p. 443
The M-16 Rifle	p. 446
Scenarios	p. 449
Conclusion	p. 450
Internet Exercises	p. 451
Health and Technology	p. 452
Introduction	p. 453
Antibiotic Resistance	p. 455
Making Well People "Better"	p. 458
The Politics of Life and Death: Global Response to HIV and AIDS	p. 464
Telemedicine: The Health System of Tomorrow	p. 472
Nadeem	p. 474
Ed	p. 478
Scenarios	p. 482
Conclusion	p. 483
Internet Exercises	p. 484
Technology and the Third World	p. 486
Introduction	p. 488
One Planet: Many Worlds	p. 490
Income Gap Widens	p. 528
Poisoned Waters: Bangladesh Desperately Seeking Solutions	p. 533
China's Challenge to the United States and to the Earth	p. 537
N30 WTO Showdown	p. 549
Pakistan: Karachi's Informal "Recycling Network"	p. 559
The Digital Divide in Ecuador	p. 563
Applications of Telecommunications Technologies in Distance Learning	p. 566
Remember Rwanda?	p. 579
Nam Theun Dam: The World Bank's Watershed Decision	p. 585
Sri Lanka: Technology and Agriculture, Tractor Versus Buffalo	p. 588
The Asian Tsunami and Beyond	p. 591
Scenarios	p. 594
Conclusion	p. 598
Internet Exercises	p. 599
Technology of the Future	p. 606
Introduction	p. 607
Creating the Future	p. 610
Predictions: Technology of the New Century and the New Millennium	p. 622
New Horizons of Information Technology	p. 629
The Amazing Brain	p. 635
In the Year 2025	p. 640
Why the Future Doesn't Need Us	p. 643
Global Population Reduction: Confronting the Inevitable	p. 658
Emerging Technologies: New Demands for Students and Faculty	p. 661
The Development and Progress of the Ambitious UN 2000 Millennium Project	p. 668
Scenarios	p. 679
Conclusion	p. 682
Internet Exercises	p. 684
Authors' Commentaries	p. 687
Index	p. 693
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