1. Introduction

Introduction

Technology is everywhere. Its influence on our lives and the world around us is enormous. But what exactly is it? How does it function? How does it affect us? Who does it serve? How should technology be viewed in the context of increasingly authoritarian governments, corporations that hold immense, unaccountable power and multiple global ecological crises? Can technology play a part in supporting radical social change towards free and equal societies living in harmony with nature? How?

Are humans fated to wind up as pets for hyper-intelligent robot hamsters?

Would that be a bad thing!?

These are – mainly ‒ important questions. Technology is seen both as our saviour and liberator (through geo-engineering, a pandemic halting vaccine or a cure for cancer), and as our enemy and slave master (in the form of artificially intelligent robot uprisings or Big

Brother social control). Often people hold both negative and positive views simultaneously. However, although attitudes and perspectives vary, the dominant view presented in society is that technology is apolitical and inevitable, that it represents human progress and makes our lives easier, more fulfilling, or just ‘better’. Let’s dig a little deeper.

We are at a unique moment in human history – an ecological precipice, perhaps a social tipping point. Unprecedented changes are approaching. Whatever path we take, unravelling technology and the dilemmas it presents will give us a clearer view of the horizon ahead of us.

What’s the point of this book?

Thinking about technology, its origins and implications, its nuances and complexities, can be a dizzying exercise. In writing this book we want to help people think about the role that technology plays in everyone’s lives.

Of course a lot has been said and written about technology, so we’re not going to start from scratch. This is just a short introduction where we will present a summary of some of the thinking already done, and add a few thoughts of our own here and there. Much that is written on the subject is inaccessible and academic in nature, so we’ll do our best to keep things non-academic and we’ll direct you to further useful reading and resources. We should also say that we are not experts on the subject, so there will inevitably be mistakes and omissions. Hopefully not too many!

While we want to present various ideas and positions, we are not writing from an entirely neutral perspective. We particularly challenge the narrative of technology as being an inherently benign or progressive force, and likewise the idea that technologies are neutral or apolitical.

We want to explore more nuanced viewpoints, neither naively positive towards technology nor rigidly opposed to it. We examine the political realities and possibilities around different technologies as they intersect with the wider world.

We also happily confess to writing from a position of bias against capitalism and authoritarianism. We believe in striving for societies that co-exist with each other and the non-human natural world (as opposed to trying to dominate or somehow exist outside or beyond nature).

However, even if you’re not quite on the same page as us with all of that, we still think you’ll find some interesting ideas. Technology throws up challenges for everyone, wherever you’re coming from.

In many cases we will be posing questions rather than providing the answers to them. So as well as a general introduction and an exploration of what has been previously said on the subject, it is also an attempt to provoke reflection and discussion.

In summary, the book is intended as a brief introduction to the politics and philosophy of technology - a simple guide to the ideas around how it functions and interacts with society and the world around us. We hope you find it useful.