Social Determinism

“How can an activity initiated by humans possibly be outside of society, an independent variable?”

They argue that it is the human race which shapes technology, and not visa versa. Market forces play a major part in this. A technologist would be merely a dreamer if he did not have the finance to put his ideas into action. That finance can only come from the profit accrued from previous ideas which society has accepted - individuals or companies purchasing the technologist’s products in the market place. A product which is of no particular use to society or is poorly designed or too expensive, even too far ahead of its time, will not sell. Thus society wil l have shaped (accepted or rejected) a technology initially shaped (designed and constructed) by a technologist. In other words, technological devices, although introduced into society, are not forced upon it. Indeed, if we were to accept “The making of the made world to suit perceived human priorities” as a legitimate definition of technology, then, by this very definition, technology cannot be autonomous.