Technocentrism
Technocentrism is a value system that is centered on
Origin of term
The term was claimed to have been coined by Seymour Papert in 1987 as a combination of techno- and egocentrism:[3]
I coined the word technocentrism from Piaget's use of the word egocentrism. This does not imply that children are selfish, but simply means that when a child thinks, all questions are referred to the self, to the ego. Technocentrism is the fallacy of referring all questions to the technology.[3]
However, references to technocentrism date back well before this (see, for example[4] and[5]).
Among the earliest references cited by O'Riordan in his book "Environmentalism" (which includes extensive discussion of ecocentric and technocentric modes of thought) is that of Hays in 1959[6] where technocentrism is characterised as:
The application of rational and 'value-free' scientific and managerial techniques by a professional elite, who regarded the natural environment as 'neutral stuff' from which man could profitably shape his destiny.
Technocentrism vs ecocentrism
Technocentrism is often contrasted with
There are theorists who claim that despite their incompatibilities, technocentrism and ecocentrism can be integrated into one framework because they share several similarities. For instance, it is proposed that technocentrism can facilitate ecocentrism, particularly in the area of policy-making, through shared goals and shared recycled resources.[9] There is also the case of the so-called sustaincentric worldview, which was developed as a product of ecocentric and technocentric views.[10]
See also
- Biocentrism
- Deep ecology
- Earth liberation
- Ecocentrism
- Ishmael (Quinn novel)
- Ecofeminism
- Ecological humanities
- Environmentalism
- Gaia hypothesis
- High modernism
- neo-Luddism
- Sentiocentrism
- Technogaianism
- Fordism
- High modernism
- New Frontier
- Post-scarcity economy
- Scientism
- Technological utopianism
- Technological progress
- Techno-progressivism
- Progress
References
- ^ ISBN 1853836184.
- ^ a b "Ecocentrism & Technocentrism".
- ^ a b Seymour Papert. "A Critique of Technocentrism in Thinking About the School of the Future".
- ^ O’Riordan, T. 1981. Environmentalism. Pion Books, London.
- ^ O’Riordan, T. 1981. Ecocentrism and Technocentrism. (pp. 32-40) In Smith, MJ (ed) Thinking through the Environment. A Reader. Open University Press, Routledge and Milton Keynes, London.
- ^ Hays, S. 1959. Conservation and the Gospel of Efficiency. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.
- ISBN 0415351669.
- ISBN 9780582277250.
- ISBN 9781402039560.
- ISBN 9780203881255.
External links
- The dictionary definition of technocentrism at Wiktionary