Hubris and Hybrids

<p>Human societies have not always taken on new technology in appropriate ways. Innovations are double-edged swords that transform relationships among people, as well as between human societies and the natural world. Only through successful cultural appropriation can we manage to control the hubris that is fundamental to the innovative, enterprising human spirit; and only by becoming hybrids, combining the human and the technological, will we be able to make effective use of our scientific and technological achievements.<br><br>This broad cultural history of technology and science provides a range of stories and reflections about the past, discussing areas such as film, industrial design, and alternative environmental technologies, and including not only European and North American, but also Asian examples, to help resolve the contradictions of contemporary high-tech civilization.</p> <p><strong>Selected Contents:</strong> Introduction <strong>Part One:</strong> <strong>The Roots of Techno-science</strong> 1. The Scientific Reformation in Early Modern Europe 2.The Industrial Transformation 3. The Sites of Enlightenment and Innovation <strong>Part Two: The Machine in the Mind</strong> 4. Technocrats and their Critics 5. Eastern Minds Take on the Western Juggernaut 6. Artistic Appropriations from Morris to the Matrix <strong>Part Three: Machines and Knowledge in Action</strong> 7. Mobility Mania and its Material Manifestations 8. The Cultural Forms of Communication and Information 9. Public Works, Public Health, and Personal Hygiene <strong>Part Four: Coping With Technoscience</strong> 10. Making Technoscience Politically Accountable 11. From Appropriate Technology to Green Business 12. Conclusion </p>