Abstract

In Autonomous Technology, Winner attempts to explain why modern technologies are often perceived to be beyond human control. Although he seeks such an explanation in the technologies themselves, Winner does not develop a critical perspective since he can conceive of no alternative to technical reason. In part, this results from his desire to avoid theoretical speculation, either about the possibility of a “new” science and technology, or about a new moral and ethical context for the old. But, beyond Winner's predilection for concreteness, the piecemeal character of his analysis suggests that by itself a theory of technology may not be a very enlightening enterprise: although technology is a distinct phenomenon, its human significance can be made clear only through social theory.