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Questioning Technology: A Critical Anthology

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Zerzan and Carnes had assembled some of the most important critical appraisals of technology written to the date of its publication in 1991 with this book. Lewis Mumford, Jacques Ellul, Langdon Winner, Joseph Weizenbaum, Carolyn Merchant, Morris Berman, George Bradford, Jerry Mander, Stanley Diamond, Russel Means and many others offer a searing indictment of technology and its catastrophic social effects. Almost all of these essays or excerpts have appeared elsewhere, but this single text has collected many of the essential topics and critiques levied from some of the greatest critics of technoculture.

One word of advice: while the concern of the publishers at New Society Publishers is noble, they have hand-written edits into the manuscript every time the word "man" is used to represent "humans" or "mankind" represents "humankind," with the intention of calling attention to the gendered use and nature of the English language. The result, however, is a text that is difficult to read. This represents one of the more annoying and silly attempts to address the influence of patriarchy in language. They may as well have poured etching solution on the printing plates before printing the book to challenge the technology of the printing press. Try to find the Freedom Press edition of this book to avoid this irritating and ineffective display of politics.