Book Review: Technology and politics, edited by Michael E. Kraft and Norman J. Vig.

Technology and technological change are perhaps the most important forces shaping domestic politics, international relations, the economy, and our individual life styles. Vig describes three abstract views of the role of technology in society. According to the instrumentalism view,“it is the human beings who create and use technology that make it a force for good or evil: technology itself is considered morally neutral.” According to the social determinism view,“technology is not a neutral instrument for problem solving but an expression of social, political, and cultural values.” According to the technological determinism view, “technology shapes human development more than it serves human ends.”