Techno-Fix: Why Technology Won't Save Us Or the Environment - Softcover

Huesemann, Michael; Huesemann, Joyce

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0865717044 ISBN 13: 9780865717046

Publisher: New Society Publishers, 2011

Synopsis

Techno-Fix questions a primary paradigm of our age: that advanced technology will extricate us from an ever increasing load of social, environmental, and economic ills. Techno-Fix shows why negative unintended consequences of science and technology are inherently unavoidable and unpredictable, why counter-technologies, techno-fixes, and efficiency improvements do not offer lasting solutions, and why modern technology, in the presence of continued economic growth, does not promote sustainability but instead hastens collapse.

The authors explore the reasons for the uncritical acceptance of new technologies; show that technological optimism is based on ignorance and that increasing consumerism and materialism, which have been facilitated by science and technology, have failed to increase happiness. The common belief that technological change is inevitable is questioned, the myth of the value-neutrality of technology is exposed and the ethics of the technological imperative: "what can be done should be done" is challenged. Techno-Fix asserts that science and technology, as currently practiced, cannot solve the many serious problems we face and that a paradigm shift is needed to reorient science and technology in a more socially responsible and environmentally sustainable direction.

The authors of Techno-Fix are inside observers of the technological scene.  Educated and experienced in science and engineering, the authors deliver a highly readable, insightful and powerful critique of modern technology.

The readers of Techno-Fix will learn a number of inconvenient truths about science and technology, topics that are rarely, if ever, covered in the media or discussed among professionals. Readers will be challenged to re-examine their current worldview, their paradigms and assumptions about the so-called promises of modern technology. But they will also feel empowered and inspired by the fact that most problems confronting humanity have inherently simple, low-tech solutions.

Who should read Techno-Fix? Anyone concerned about the effects of technology on society and the environment; anyone teaching or studying science, engineering, medicine, or related disciplines; anyone intending to create a better future.

Techno-Fix has been endorsed by Richard Heinberg, Bill McKibben, David Suzuki, William Rees, and many other important figures in the environmental and academic community.

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Huesemann: Michael Huesemann, PhD is a research scientist who has specialized in environmental biotechnology for more than 25 years. He has a special interest in sustainability and critical science, with a focus on the environmental, social, and ethical implications of science and technology. He is an accomplished public speaker and his research papers on the limitations of science and technology have been widely published to critical acclaim.
Joyce Huesemann: Joyce Huesemann, PhD is an activist with a strong academic background. She has taught at several universities, and has participated actively in a number of environmental, wildlife protection, and companion animal organizations A passionate advocate for animal rights, Joyce has personally fostered, rehabilitated and placed over 75 abandoned animals.

Review:

Technology has become our near-universal object of faith...but it is people who must provide the answers.  This book should be read and discussed in every home, school, and legislature. -- Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow at the Post Carbon Institute, author, The End of Growth.

Technology alone won't be our salvation. This book explains why. -- Bill McKibben, Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College, author, Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet.

Possibly the best myth-busting book the environmental movement has ever seen. -- William Rees, Professor, University of British Columbia, author, Our Ecological Footprint.

Science and technology have advanced impressively and have promised much over the past century, but as this book shows, it is suicidal to put our hopes in such promises. -- David Suzuki, Professor emeritus, University of British Columbia, host, The Nature of Things, author of 43 books.

Techno-fix shows how unsustainable and destructive technologies, shaped and driven by the profit motive, have emerged as a major cause of harm to people and the earth. We need to go beyond a blind techno-religion and this book shows us how. -- Vandana Shiva, New Delhi based environmental and anti-globalization activist, philosopher, author of 20 books.

This book is outstanding, the most thorough, clear, systematic refutation that I've seen of the absurd idea that new technology will be our savior from advancing ecological breakdown - A must-read for anyone seeking realistic pathways forward. -- Jerry Mander, Founder, International Forum on Globalization.

Salvation by technological advance and unlimited growth is the blind dogma of our age. The Huesemanns provide a devastatingly cogent and well-referenced critique of this modern Gnosticism, as well some good alternative ideas. Highly recommended! --Herman Daly, Former World Bank Senior Economist, author, Steady-State Economics, and Ecological Economics.

Techno-Fix deals with a wide range of issues at the core of the sustainability crisis, showing that these problems are not going to be solved by technical advances which leave the fundamental structures and values of rampant consumer society in place...Techno-Fix goes beyond technical issues to consider the social, economic and philosophical dimensions of our predicament. TED TRAINER University of New South Wales

About this edition

• Publisher: New Society Publishers
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0865717044
• ISBN 13: 9780865717046
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464