Blending social analysis and philosophy, Albert Borgmann maintains that technology creates a controlling pattern in our lives. This pattern, discernible even in such an inconspicuous action as switching on a stereo, has global effects: it sharply divides life into labor and leisure, it sustains the industrial democracies, and it fosters the view that the earth itself is a technological device. He argues that technology has served us as well in conquering hunger and disease, but that when we turn to it for richer experiences, it leads instead to a life dominated by effortless and thoughtless consumption. Borgmann does not reject technology but calls for public conversation about the nature of the good life. He counsels us to make room in a technological age for matters of ultimate concern—things and practices that engage us in their own right.
 |
| ||||||||||||||||||
Shop the Amazon.com Textbooks Store and save up to 70% on textbook rentals, 90% on used textbooks and 60% on eTextbooks. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Albert Borgmann is Regents Professor of Philosophy at the University of Montana. He is the author of Crossing the Postmodern Divide, also published by the University of Chicago Press.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By Wayne Iba
Format:Paperback
If you are interested in the philosophy of technology, skip this book and keep looking. Borgmann defines technology as developments since the industrial revolution. Many of his claims may stand within this narrow definition of technology but lose their force when considering technology in a broader sense.
Rather than a critique of technology, the book actually critiques consumerism. In this, the book is thought-provoking and worth reading. Although Borgmann assumes (incorrectly, I believe) a linkage between technology and consumerism, the linkage is not necessary to the critique of consumerism. Unfortunately, like most social critics, Borgmann does not present tangible suggestions for changing course.
Rather than a critique of technology, the book actually critiques consumerism. In this, the book is thought-provoking and worth reading. Although Borgmann assumes (incorrectly, I believe) a linkage between technology and consumerism, the linkage is not necessary to the critique of consumerism. Unfortunately, like most social critics, Borgmann does not present tangible suggestions for changing course.
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
See all 100 books this book cites
42
books
cite this book:
See all 42 books citing this book
- A Theory of Justice by John Rawls on 8 pages
- New Rules by Daniel Yankelovich on 8 pages
- Philosophy and Technology by Carl Mitcham on 7 pages
- Technics and Civilization by Lewis Mumford on 6 pages
- Social Limits to Growth (Twentieth Century Fund Study) by Fred Hirsch on 6 pages
See all 100 books this book cites
- Technology and the Good Life? by Eric Higgs on 17 pages
- Technology, Time, and the Conversations of Modernity by Lorenzo C. Simpson on 4 pages
- Poststructuralism, Citizenship and Social Policy by Ian Barns on page 180, and page 188
- Cornucopia Limited: Design and Dissent on the Internet by Richard Coyne in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Poststructuralism, Citizenship and Social Policy by Ian Barns on page 180, and page 188
See all 42 books citing this book
Books on Related Topics
(learn more)
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Listmania!
|
|
