The technological culture of war
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Date
2008
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
SAGE
Abstract
The article proceeds from the argument that war is a social institution and not a historical inevitability of human interaction,
that is, war can be “unlearned.” This process involves deconstructing/dismantling war as an institution in
society. An important step in this process is to understand the philosophical and cultural bases on which technology
is employed as “tools” of war. The article focuses on such questions as, Is technology just viewed as instruments in
the hand of its human masters in war? Does technology take on an autonomous role in war? How should we assess
the impact of context (political, economic, and cultural) of technology when employed in war? By exploring these
points, the article hopes to provide input into the discussion on the control of war technologies and ultimately the dismantling
of war as an institution in society.
Description
Keywords
Philosophy of technology, War technologies, Instrumentalism;, Revolution in military affairs, Dystopianism
Citation
Pretorius, J. (2008). The technological culture of war. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 28(4),299-305