Technology and Equality - (Philosophy, Technology and Society) by Sven Ove Hansson & Colleen Murphy (Hardcover)

About the Book

Analyzing the roles technology plays in growing global inequalities, this collection combines theory with case studies to expose causes and correlations, as well as potential solutions. Contributing scholars provide perspectives from history, sociology, gender studies, anthropology, economics, law, ethics, and philosophy.

Book Synopsis

Analyzing the roles technology plays in growing global inequalities, this collection combines theory with case studies to expose causes and correlations, as well as potential solutions. Contributing scholars provide perspectives from history, sociology, gender studies, anthropology, economics, law, ethics, and philosophy.

We live in a world of rapidly growing gaps between rich and poor. In the rich parts of the world, new resource-consuming devices are launched every year. But at the same time, about a fourth of the world's population does not have access to clean drinking water, and more than half lack safely managed sanitation. What role does technology have in these growing global inequalities? Is technological development the root cause of inequality? Or is the unequal distribution of technology just a mirror of social inequities that have other causes? And can new technologies be instrumental in making the world less unfair?

In this collection, these issues are addressed from a wide range of perspectives by scholars in disciplines such as history, sociology, gender studies, anthropology, economics, law, ethics, and philosophy. Case studies highlight technology-related inequalities for instance in climate mitigation, public transport, access to water, waste management, sanitation, air pollution, healthcare, digital communication, and law enforcement. The more theoretical chapters provide tools and concepts that are helpful for analyzing and understanding the relationships between technology and inequality in other applications and in more general perspectives.

Review Quotes

"Equality is a defining issue of our time, and technology plays a significant role in both advancing equality and amplifying inequalities. At last, we have a book that bridges these two subjects, delivering outstanding discussions across a wide range of technologies and applications." --Philip Brey, associate professor and vice chair of the department of philosophy, University of Twente

"How can technological innovation help to increase equalities among people rather than deepening inequalities that already exist? This pressing question of our times is illuminatingly, engagingly, and clearly addressed by the contributors to this volume. In covering an impressive range of topics including agriculture and food systems, artificial intelligence, flood risks, health technologies, and human working conditions, Technology and Equality challenges the reader to recognize not only the extent of inequalities but also to consider novel perspectives for how they might be reduced." --Diane P. Michelfelder, professor of philosophy emerita, Macalester College

About the Author

Sven Ove Hansson is member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and past president of the Society for Philosophy and Technology. He is the author of six scholarly books and editor of eleven and he has published around 380 papers in refereed international journals and books.
Colleen Murphy is a professor in the College of Law with courtesy appointments in philosophy and political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she also directs the Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program in the Illinois Global Institute. She is the author of three books, co-editor of three volumes, and has published more than fifty journal articles and book chapters.