Rational Accidents: Reckoning with Catastrophic Technologies (Inside Technology) - Softcover
Book 61 of 63: Inside Technology
Synopsis
An unflinching look at the unique challenges posed by complex technologies we cannot afford to let fail—and why the remarkable achievements of civil aviation can help us understand those challenges.
Nuclear reactors, deep-sea drilling platforms, deterrence infrastructures—these are all complex and formidable technologies with the potential to fail catastrophically. In Rational Accidents, John Downer outlines a new perspective on technological failure, arguing that undetectable errors can lurk in even the most rigorous and “rational” assessments of these systems due to the inherent limits of engineering tests and models. Downer finds that it should be impossible, from an epistemological viewpoint, to achieve the near-perfect reliability that we require of our most safety-critical technologies. There is, however, one such technology that demonstrably appears to achieve these “impossible” reliabilities: jetliners.
Downer looks closely at civil aviation and how it has reckoned with the problem of failure. He finds that the way we conceive of jetliner reliability hides the real practices by which it is achieved. And he shows us why those practices are much less transferrable across technological domains than we are led to believe. Fully understanding why jetliners don't crash, he concludes, should lead us to doubt the safety of other “ultra-reliable” technologies.
A unique and sobering exploration of technological reliability from an STS perspective, Rational Accidents is essential reading for understanding why our most safety-critical technologies are even more dangerous than we believe.
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About the Author
John Downer is Associate Professor in Science and Technology Studies at the University of Bristol.
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Rational Accidents: Reckoning with Catastrophic Technologies (Inside Technology) [Paperback] Downer, John
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Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. An unflinching look at the unique challenges posed by complex technologies we cannot afford to let fail-and why the remarkable achievements of civil aviation can help us understand those challenges.An unflinching look at the unique challenges posed by complex technologies we cannot afford to let fail-and why the remarkable achievements of civil aviation can help us understand those challenges.Nuclear reactors, deep-sea drilling platforms, deterrence infrastructures-these are all complex and formidable technologies with the potential to fail catastrophically. In Rational Accidents, John Downer outlines a new perspective on technological failure, arguing that undetectable errors can lurk in even the most rigorous and "rational" assessments of these systems due to the inherent limits of engineering tests and models. Downer finds that it should be impossible, from an epistemological viewpoint, to achieve the near-perfect reliability that we require of our most safety-critical technologies. There is, however, one such technology that demonstrably appears to achieve these "impossible" reliabilities- jetliners.Downer looks closely at civil aviation and how it has reckoned with the problem of failure. He finds that the way we conceive of jetliner reliability hides the real practices by which it is achieved. And he shows us why those practices are much less transferrable across technological domains than we are led to believe. Fully understanding why jetliners don't crash, he concludes, should lead us to doubt the safety of other "ultra-reliable" technologies.A unique and sobering exploration of technological reliability from an STS perspective, Rational Accidents is essential reading for understanding why our most safety-critical technologies are even more dangerous than we believe. "There are limits to what engineers can know, and this means that not every technological failure can be anticipated or avoided. The book explores this observation in the context of technologies that cannot be allowed to fail, e.g., jetliners"-- Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780262546997
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Paperback. Condition: New. An unflinching look at the unique challenges posed by complex technologies we cannot afford to let fail-and why the remarkable achievements of civil aviation can help us understand those challenges.Nuclear reactors, deep-sea drilling platforms, deterrence infrastructures-these are all complex and formidable technologies with the potential to fail catastrophically. In Rational Accidents, John Downer outlines a new perspective on technological failure, arguing that undetectable errors can lurk in even the most rigorous and "rational" assessments of these systems due to the inherent limits of engineering tests and models. Building on this, Downer finds that it should be impossible, from an epistemological viewpoint, to achieve the near-perfect reliability we require of our most safety-critical technologies. There is, however, one such technology that demonstrably appears to achieve these "impossible" reliabilities: jetliners.Downer looks closely at civil aviation and how it has reckoned with the problem of failure. He finds that the way we conceive of jetliner reliability hides the real practices by which it is achieved. And he shows us why those practices are much less transferrable across technological domains than we are led to believe. Fully understanding why jetliners don't crash, he concludes, should lead us to doubt the safety of other "ultra-reliable" technologies.A unique and sobering exploration of technological reliability from an STS perspective, Rational Accidents is essential reading for understanding why our most safety-critical technologies are even more dangerous than we believe. Read more Continue reading Read less ABOUT THE AUTHORJohn Downer is Senior Lecturer in Risk and Resilience at the University of Bristol. Read more Continue reading Read less. Seller Inventory # LU-9780262546997
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