Why things bite back
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences is a 1997 book by former executive editor for physical science and history at Princeton University Press Edward Tenner that is an account and geography of modern technology.
Edward Tenner's book tells a story not of the brilliant achievements and innovations of modern science so frequently described in history books, but mystical creations of technology that have unintendedly influenced the society.
Tenner created an essential encyclopedia of what he called "revenge effects" - the unintended effects of the mechanical, biological, chemical and medical forms of inventiveness that have been features of the developing, progress-obsessed modern age. Discussing the constant interaction of technology and society, he shows why human confidence in technological solutions may be mislaid, and investigates ways in which people can better live in a world where in spite of technological advantages real application of these still can be negative.
[edit] References
- Tenner, E. (1997) Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences. Vintage, 1997.
[edit] Further reading
- Cowan, R. Sch. (1985) More Work for Mother: The Ironies of Household Technology from the Open Hearth to the Microwave. Basic Books.
- Norman, D. A. (1994) Things That Make Us Smart: Defending Human Attributes in the Age of the Machine. Perseus Press.
- Postman, N. (1993) Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. Vintage Books.
- Rochlin, G. I. (1999) Trapped in the Net: The Unanticipated Consequences of Computerization. Princeton University Press.
- Smith, M. R. and Leo Marx, eds. (1995) Does Technology Drive History? The Dilemma of Technological Determinism. MIT Press.
