Man made futures

MAN-MADE FUTURES
Readings in Society, Technology and Design
This course reader contains thirty-eight extracts or articles from
recent books or journals dealing with relationship between
technology and society, and in particular with the function of
design in that relationship. The reader forms an essential and
integral part of Course T262 - Man-Made Futures: Design and
Technology
The first section deals with the sources and effects of technological
change in industrial society, with criticisms of modern 'technocratic'
society, and with concepts of future 'post-industrial society.
The second section is concerned with newly emerging mechanisms
for the social control of technological change, such as technology
assessment, futures forecasting, and community participation in
planning and design. The third section is concerned with the
processes of innovation and design and with movements towards
such concepts as 'humane' or 'alternative technologies.
This collection of readings is presented as a positive step towards a
new concept of integrative studies in technology and society.
The emphasis of this stimulating survey is on the need to choose
appropriate technologies for the future.