This book is an excellent critical philosophical examination of technology that seeks to answer the question: "What exactly is technology, and how does it affect our society and lives?" I found the author's conclusions about the metaphysics of technology to be quite interesting. Particularly, he argues (convincingly) that technology is not a social structure but is in fact a force of nature.
The book is also an excellent survey of the history of the philosophy of technology. He examines and explains a number of prominent philosophers of technology (including one particularly surprising one you might not expect...). Of particular interest is the chapter of case studies which examines some very interesting ways that technology has had a doubtlessly negative impact on individuals, society, and the environment.
In an increasingly technophilic world, it is crucial that we take a step back and objectively analyze the role of technology in our society and in our personal lives. It seems that we may be moving a little too fast, and may not be skeptical enough about "the next big things."
This book is more of a philosophical textbook than it is a pop-philosophy or general readership book. The author is a professor of philosophy and this definitely shows in his writing and the content of the book. However, he does a good job explaining basic philosophical concepts that lets the reader understand the material. I did not struggle with any of the material, but I do have a bachelor's degree in philosophy. If you have at least taken Philosophy 101, you are probably in a good position to enjoy this book and the author will carry you the rest of the way. Others may find themselves needing to go read Wikipedia articles before finishing some paragraphs.
My only criticism of this book is it is kind of ridiculously expensive (I bought my copy for $54 and it has since gone up to almost $60). This is out of the author's control, no doubt. Also, the copyeditor for this book should be fired. It is full of typos that should have been caught before publishing. For instance, Page 247 contains the phrase "Guildford County in Greensboro, North Carolina..." First of all, how can a county be inside a city? Secondly, it's not Guildford it's Guilford County (with a population of over half a million people). Other than that, an excellent philosophical text and one that more people should read.
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Julian Lawrence
An Important Textbook
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 31, 2019