This book gathers inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary perspectives on the effects that today's advances in science and technology have on issues ranging from government policy-making to how we see the differences between men and women. The chapters investigate how invention and innovation really take place, how science differs from competing forms of knowledge, and how science and technology could contribute more to the greater good of humanity. For instance, should there be legal restrictions on 'immoral inventions'? A key theme that runs throughout the book concerns who is taken into account at each stage and who is affected. The amount of influence users have on technology development and how non-users are factored in are evaluated as the impact of scientific and technological progression on society is investigated, including politics, economy, family life, and ethics.

'Todd L. Pittinsky argues for a ‘technology of a greater good’ and outlines the dangers of technology dependence, while explaining how humanity is capable of avoiding such traps. The decision is still in our hands to ensure that technology serves the public good, instead of the dictates of an imagined consumer.'

Ferenc Miszlivetz - Director of the Institute of Advanced Studies and Jean Monnet Professor, Hungarian Academy of Science

'Science, Technology, and Society: New Perspectives and Directions contains an absorbing collection of thought-provoking essays on a broad range of topics in science and technology studies. Written by leading scholars, this volume will be useful as a research reference and as an advanced survey of the field for sparking classroom discussions.'

John N. Parker - Program Officer and Co-Director of the National Science Foundation’s Science, Technology, and Society Program

‘In Science, Technology, and Society, editor Pittinsky (Stony Brook Univ.) has brought together a highly complementary set of essays that explore how society shapes-and is shaped by-technological innovation. Contributed chapters address a diverse set of technologies including everything from genetic engineering to innovations by farmers in converting old cars into effective agricultural machinery. One especially interesting chapter focuses on the role of technology in reducing sex differences in society, for example by enabling remote work, which can either ease or heighten demands on women who are primary caregivers for young children, and by enabling online commentators to avoid indicating their sex and escape potential stereotyping by colleagues.’

D. P. Genereux Source: Choice