Synopses & Reviews
In this expanded edition of her bestselling 1989 book, renowned scientist and humanitarian Ursula Franklin examines the impact of technology upon our lives.
With three new chapters focusing on the technologies of communication and their impact upon the written word, the globalization of work and its effect upon privacy and intellectual property, and the impact of current technology on government and governance, this new edition of The Real World of Technology charts and explains the huge technological advances of the past decade.
Professor Franklin argues that technology is more than the sum of its wheels, gears, and transmitters. It is a system that involves organization, procedures, symbols, new words, concepts, and, most of all, a mindset. Technology changes the relationships between us and forces us to examine and redefine our notions of power and of accountability.
Synopsis
In this expanded edition of her bestselling 1989 CBC Massey Lectures, renowned Canadian scientist and humanitarian Ursula M. Franklin examines the impact of technology upon our lives and addresses the extraordinary changes in the bit sphere since The Real World of Technology was first published. In four new chapters, Franklin tackles contentious issues, such as the dilution of privacy and intellectual property rights, the impact of the current technology on government and governance, the shift from consumer capitalism to investment capitalism, and the influence of the Internet upon the craft of writing.
About the Author
Ursula Franklin is an experimental physicist, University Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, a former board member of the National Research Council and the Science Council of Canada, and a companion of the Order of Canada.