Knowing machines : essays on technical change / Donald MacKenzie.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

MacKenzie, Donald A., author.

Series:

Inside technology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Technology--Social aspects.

Technology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 338 pages) : illustrations.

Edition:

First MIT Press paperback edition.

Other Title:

MIT Press CogNet.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 1998.

System Details:

text file

Summary:

Ranging from broad inquiries into the roles of economics and sociology in the explanation of technological change to an argument for the possibility of " uninventing" nuclear weapons, this selection of Donald MacKenzie's essays provides a solid introduction to the style and substance of the sociology of technology. Two conceptual essays are followed by seven empirical essays focusing on the laser gyroscopes that are central to modern aircraft navigation technology, supercomputers (with a particular emphasis on their use in the design of nuclear weapons), the application of mathematical proof in the design of computer systems, computer-related accidental deaths, and the nature of the knowledge that is needed to design a nuclear bomb. Two of the articles won major prizes on their original journal publication. A substantial new introduction outlines the common themes underlying this body of work and places them in the context of recent debates in technology studies.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 261-331) and index.

Print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: MacKenzie, Donald A. Knowing machines.

ISBN:

0262278812

9780262278812

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.