From the Social to the Cultural Technology Assessment

Abstract

The author proposes to extend the concept of social technology assessment by Ladislav Tondl towards a cultural technology assessment. “Culture” is a fuzzy term. But in this relationship it means “patterns of” and “practices of” (perception, behavior, communication, consumption, production ...). These “patterns” and “practices” are mostly different in different groups of individuals, regions, countries; they influence interactions between men and technology too. This includes a relevance of culture for technology assessment: It begins with the selection of TA topics and goes up to acceptance of specific technological solutions, includes preferences and evaluation criteria as well as their hierarchy. The paper presents considerations towards a cultural technology assessment – based on the relationships between technology and culture.

(Non-peer-reviewed essay on the occasion of Ladislav Tondl's 90th birthday.)