Futile progress : technology's empty promise / Ernest Braun.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Braun, Ernest., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Technological innovations.

Technology--Social aspects.

Technology and state.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (225 p.)

Place of Publication:

Abingdon [England] ; New York : Earthscan, 1995.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Do new innovations and products improve our lives? Has our relentless pursuit of technological progress eliminated the blight of poverty, of inequality, of discrimination, of crime, of war? Has the advance of technology increased our happiness and led us to fulfillment and social harmony? The ads would have us think so. But not all technological innovation is desirable, and the fastest rate of change is not necessarily the best. Futile Progress explores the multiple and far-reaching ways in which our society and our environment have been affected by technological change. It reveals how far unf

Contents:

Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; Introduction; Chapter 1 The Aims of Progress; General Definitions; Social Progress; Economic Growth; Technological Progress; Scientific Progress; The Pursuit of Happiness; Technology and Happiness; Chapter 2 Technological Innovation; Causes; Micro-Economic Theories of Technological Innovation; The Law of Diminishing Returns and R&D Cooperation; The Macro-Economic Role of Innovation; Technological Innovation and Defence; Chapter 3 Technology Policy; Technology and Politics; Support Policies for Technology

Examples of Support PoliciesShould Government Support Technological Innovation?; Government Support for Research; Measures for the Control of Technology; Technology Assessment as an Input to the Formation of Technology Policy; Chapter 4 Technology and the Natural Environment; Introduction; The Contemporary Problem of Pollution; Some Examples of Present Environmental Problems; Environmental Problems and the Market; Sustainable Growth; Chapter 5 Environmental Policies; Attitudes and the Political Agenda; Examples of Environmental Policies

Environmental Policies in the European Community and in the United KingdomEnvironmental Impact Assessment; Chapter 6 Summary and Conclusions; The Four Dimensions of Futility; The Irrelevance of New Technologies to Real Needs; The Cost of Rapid Change; The Uncoupling of Technical Progress from Social Advance; Technological Progress and Environmental Destruction; Policy Recommendations; The Future of Technological Innovation; References; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed June 27, 2014).

ISBN:

1-134-16921-3

1-85383-243-X

1-315-07061-8

1-134-16914-0

OCLC:

624380879