ISBN : 9780198864929
Current debates on sustainability are largely building on a problematic assumption that increasing technology use and advancement are a desired phenomenon, creating positive change in human organizations. This kind of techno-optimism prevails particularly in the discourses of ecological modernization and green growth, as well as in the attempts to design sustainable modes of production and consumption within growth-driven capitalism. This transdisciplinary book investigates the philosophical underpinnings of technology, presents a culturally sensitive critique to technology, and outlines feasible alternatives for sustainability beyond technology. It draws on a variety of scholarly disciplines, including the humanities (philosophy and environmental history), social sciences (ecological economics, political economy, and ecology) and natural sciences (geology and thermodynamics) to contribute to sustainability theory and policy. By examining the conflicts and contradictions between technology and sustainability in human organization, the book develops a novel way to conceptualize, confront, and change technology in modern society.
1 Toni Ruuska and Pasi Heikkurinen: Technology and Sustainability: An Introduction
Part I. Conceptualizing Technology
2 Thomas Wallgren and Niklas Toivakainen: The Question of Technology: From Noise to Reflection
3 Andreas Roos: Earthing Philosophy of Technology: A Case for Ontological Materialism
4 Pasi Heikkurinen: Atechnological Experience Unfolding: Meaning for the Post-Anthropocene
Part II. Confronting Technology
5 Jani Pulkki and Veli-Matti Varri: Competition Within Technology: A Study on Competitive Thought and Moral Growth
6 Toni Ruuska: Conditions for Alienation: Technological Development and Capital Accumulation
7 Tere Vaden: What Does Fossil Energy tell us About Technology?
8 Alf Hornborg: Reversing the Industrial Revolution: Theorizing the Distributive Dimensions of Energy Transitions
Part III. Changing Technology
9 Karl Johan Bonnedahl: An Economy Beyond Instrumental Rationality
10 Iana Nesterova: Small, Local, and Low-Tech Firm Firms as Agents of Sustainable Change
11 David Skrbina and Renee Kordie: Creative Reconstruction of the Technological Society: A Path to Sustainability
12 Pasi Heikkurinen and Toni Ruuska: Technology and Sustainability: A Conclusion