Coursework 4

Abstract

This coursework's aim is to talk about social determinism. The purpose here is to answer three main questions that revolve around this topic. These main questions include assessing the validity of the statement that “it is social change that drives technological change.” The coursework has used examples from various products and IT solutions in order to illustrate arguments in favor and against of the mentioned statement. Moreover, this piece of study's aim is also to answer the question that are we too dependent on IT and computerization, and is there alternative exists for it? Additionally, the statement that “Education is enhanced by the introduction of computers” is also analyzed with the help of relevant examples from Britain and other such countries.

Introduction

In the context of finding out the impacts that the technology has on our society, there rose a number of questions such as what do philosophers must know about technology, what kind of understanding do people need to have in this regard, and many more. Possibly it is much simpler to have survived in a society in which an extensive range of technologies are in frequent use. Thus, depicting the understanding of such issues can help in moving individuals to build up general theories and perspectives that may allow us to answer chief questions about technology in general. However, the main problem that arises in this regard is that the grip of individuals on these issues may be apparent, and thus failing to do justice to the event that one needs to interpret and explain. Moreover, one can take hold on a limited variety of examples related to technical applications and those may be vaguely understood at the same time. Numerous such examples include a robot in factory, a dam on a river, and many others (Hughes, 1988), pp. 688-690).

In addition to this, there could be an alternative that is to focus the attention of individuals more carefully in order to become an expert in the logical understanding of a particular field, and to attain the deeper understanding of, for instance, a technical professional, an engineer, or a worker. Even these situations may also demonstrate limiting, mainly because of the fact that the experiences available in one particular field of performance may not be helpful in realizing the characters, origins, and consequences of other domain's technical practices (McLoughlin, 1999, pp. 105-107).

Discussion

In the context of education of technology, teaching about society and technology has generally been entrenched in the opinions of the impacts that the technology has on society. Allusions to the outcomes of technology on society are persistent in the technology education's literature. The concept of technological impacts that it has on society is quite simpler to understand and this notion has allowed the field to infer technology in the context of culture and society. Moreover, this study has also contributed a lot in developing an inflexible and simplistic view of the relationship between society and technology (Olsen, et.al, 2009, pp. 79-85).

Is it social change that derives technological change?

In order ...