Social Issues in Technology: A Format for Investigation (4th Edition) / Paul A. Alcorn

Finely-focused on the technology-society connection, this unique book presents the methods and theories available for exploring the effects of technology on our lives—past, present, and future. A three part organization presents chapters under three main headings that look at: The Nature of Technology: Foundations, Methods of Study, and then a Conclusion. Chapter topics include Creativity and Innovation: The Critical Link; Economics and Cultural Impetus; An Idea Whose Time Has Come; The Cause and Effect of Technology and Society; Modeling, Simulations, and Gaming; Systems Behavior: The Universal Laws; Diversity, Randomness, and Systemic Integrity; Catastrophe Theory: The Plague of Technological Complexity; and The Systemic Models. A primer that gives investigators the necessary intellectual tools to begin their own research into the field.