Technicism

Technicism

Technicism is an over reliance or overconfidence in technology as a benefactor of society.

Taken to the extreme, some argue that technicism is the belief that humanity will ultimately be able to control the entirety of existence using technology. In other words, human beings will eventually be able to master all problems, supply all wants and needs, possibly even control the future. (For a more complete treatment of the topic, see the work of Egbert Schuurman, for example at [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/SPT/v3n1/schuurman.html] .) Some, such as Monsma, et al., connect these ideas to the abdication of religion as a higher moral authority.

More commonly, technicism is a criticism of the commonly held belief that newer, more recently-developed technology is "better." For example, more recently-developed computers are faster than older computers, and more recently-developed cars have greater gas efficiency and more features than older cars. Because current technologies are generally accepted as good, future technological developments are not considered circumspectly, resulting in what seems to be a blind acceptance of technological developments.

Technicism has also been used as a synonym for technocracy, in the sense of the control of society by technicians or specialists; in this connection, see Robert D. Putnam's "The Managerial Revolution".


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • technicism — A belief that technocracy is desirable or inevitable. Also a broad social movement , especially influential in the United States during the early twentieth century (the Technocracy Movement), calling for the elimination of the price system in… …   Dictionary of sociology

  • technicism — techˈnicism noun (too great) an emphasis on or concern with practical results or method • • • Main Entry: ↑technic …   Useful english dictionary

  • Technology — By the mid 20th century, humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the atmosphere of the Earth for the first time and explore space. Technology …   Wikipedia

  • Religion (Philosophies of) — Philosophies of religion Marcel, Jaspers, Levinas William Desmond Gabriel Marcel (1889–1973), Karl Jaspers (1883–1969) and Emmanuel Levinas (1906–) seem like a mere aggregate of thinkers. Jaspers, a German thinker who coined the phrase Existenz… …   History of philosophy

  • Themes in Blade Runner — Despite the initial appearance of an action film, Blade Runner operates on an unusually rich number of dramatic levels. [ [http://scribble.com/uwi/br 2019: Off World Archives] ] As with much of the cyberpunk genre, it owes a large debt to film… …   Wikipedia

  • ТЕХНИЦИЗМ — англ. technicism; нем. Technizismus. Установка в оценке техники, исходящая из представлений об автономии технической рациональности, ее трансцендентной сущности, способности к саморазвитию и определяющем характере воздействия техники на общество …   Энциклопедия социологии

  • Marx's notebooks on the history of technology — Karl Marx wrote a number of notebooks on the history of technology. Their whereabouts were not known but in the past they were read and discussed by Marxist writers. Dr Amy Wendling s recent study Karl Marx on Technology and Alienation may have… …   Wikipedia

  • Portal:Technology — Wikipedia portals: Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Natural sciences People Philosophy Religion Society Technology …   Wikipedia

  • Friedmann, Georges — (1902 77) A French sociologist, originator, and the driving force behind the Sociologie du Travail in early post war France; also a trenchant critic of the scientific management movement. Sociologie du Travail developed out of Friedmann s… …   Dictionary of sociology

  • scientific management — A leading example of technicism and a theory of work behaviour based on the highly influential and controversial writings of Frederick William Taylor (1856 1915). Taylorism sought to eradicate the industrial inefficiency and loss of leadership… …   Dictionary of sociology

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”