Philosophy and Technology

This collection of essays examines the philosophical and cultural aspects of technology. The issues range widely - from quantum technology to problems of technology and culture in a developing country and contributors approach the issues from a variety of perspectives. The volume includes case-studies, and also more theoretical pieces which consider the fundamental question of whether technology should be perceived as a force for liberation or enslavement. The volume aims to stimulate debate about the relation between technology and philosophy and society in general, and to open a field of enquiry that has been relatively neglected. Written in an accessible style, the contributions are intended equally for philosophers exploring the novel problems arising in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, but also for technologists interested in the philosophical implications of their work.

• Opens a field of enquiry which has formerly been neglected • Written in an accessible style for both philosophers and technologists • Contains case studies and theoretical pieces

1. Introduction Roger Fellows; 2. Technology: liberation or enslavement? David E. Cooper; 3. Do the successes of technology evidence the truth of theories? Michael Smithurst; 4. Instruments and reality: the case of terrestrial magnetism and the Northern Lights Willem Hackman; 5. Realism and progress: why scientists should be realists Robin Findlay Hendry; 6. Quantum technology: where to look for the quantum measurements problem Nancy Cartwright; 7. Welcome to Wales: Searle on the computational theory of mind Roger Fellows; 8. Acts, omissions and keeping patients alive in a persistent vegetative state Sophie Botris; 9. Technology and culture in a developing country Kwame Gyekye; 10. Art and technology Anthony O’Hear; 11. Tools, machines and marvels Stephen R. L. Clark; 12. Values, means and ends Robert Grant; 13. Question time Renford Bambrough.