Beyond Engineering: How Society Shapes Technology (Sloan Technology)
This thoughtful, well-researched title by science writer Pool (Eve's Rib, LJ 5/1/94) lays out a rich, comprehensive view of the development of modern technologies, with a keen emphasis on how nontechnological factors?such as the sociological, political, and simply serendipitous?shape such complex technologies. Pool begins with a positivism vs. "social construction" epistemological debate (essential to understanding technological knowledge, he argues) and a discussion of the effects of history, economics, political science, sociology, risk analysis, management science, and psychology on the technology that has both ameliorated humankind's condition and made it worse. The progress in modern aviation, computers, automobiles, bovine growth hormone, treatment for AIDS, and nuclear power (the evolution of which is treated extensively and serves as an underlying current throughout the book) is covered carefully in a fluent style. Copious end notes buttress the solid exposition. Recommended for general science collections.?Robert C. Ballou, AtlantaCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.