Dark side of technology.

Dark side of technology.

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Townsend, Peter.
Imprint:	Oxford, United Kingdom : Oxford University Press, [2016]. ©2017.
Description:	xi, 306 pages ; 23 cm.
Language:	English
Subject:	Technology -- Social aspects. Technology and civilization. Technological innovations -- Social aspects. Technological innovations -- Social aspects. Technology and civilization. Technology -- Social aspects.
Format:	Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/10982652

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	0198790538 9780198790532
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references (pages 305-306).
Summary:	Technological progress comes with a dark side where good ideas and intentions produce undesirable results. The many and various unexpected outcomes of technology span humorous to bizarre, and even result in situations which threaten our survival. Development can be positive for some, but negative and isolating for others (e.g. older or poorer people). Progress is often transient, as faster electronics and computers dramatically shorten retention time of data and knowledge (e.g. documents, data, and photos will be unreadable within a generation). This is also destroying past languages and cultures in a trend to globalisation. Advances cut across all areas of science and life, and the scope is vast from biology, medicine, agriculture, transport, electronics, computers, long range communications, to a global economy. Our reliance on technology is now matched by vulnerability to natural events (e.g. intense sunspot activity) which could annihilate advanced societies by destroying satellites or power grid distribution. Similarly, progress of electronics and communication produced a boom industry in cyber crime, and cyber terrorism.0Medical technology may maintain our health, but we ignore possible drug related mutagenic changes, and we continue with errors in creating a global food economy by devastating the environment and causing extinction of species, just to support an excessive human population. This diverse coverage of the book is consciously presented at a level designed for an intelligent, but non-scientific readership. It includes suggestions for positive future progress with planning, investment, and political commitment, as well as contemplating how failure to respond endangers human survival.

Description
Summary:	The Dark Side of Technology is aimed at a mass market of intelligent people who are concerned about human progress, interested or amused by many of the unexpected consequences of technological advance, and probably unaware of the dangers which we are accruing for ourselves. Although the book spans a very wide spectrum of ideas, no previous scientific knowledge is required. Other books have focussed on different topic areas, but none have previously presented thegenerality of the patterns across medicine to agriculture, electronics, communications, a global economy and a burgeoning population. Technology invariably advances faster than our understanding of sideeffects, or our realisation that we have become vulnerable to natural events that could eliminate advanced nations, nor that mutagenic changes may not be apparent for one or two generations. This is therefore both an alarm call and a guide to survival.
Physical Description:	xi, 306 pages ; 23 cm.
Bibliography:	Includes bibliographical references (pages 305-306).
ISBN:	0198790538 9780198790532