The Nature of Technology
Technology refers to any human-made object used to perform a task. In addi- tion, the term is often used to describe processes that involve such objects. For example, the term technology can refer to both the overall process of kidney dialysis and the equipment used in that process.
Although we often talk about technology as if it is inherently either good or bad—“technology has made our lives easier” or “technology has depersonalized medical care”—the reality is more complex. The nature of a technology does determine the range of ways it might be used, but whether it is harmful, helpful, or both depends on who uses it and in which ways as “Contemporary Issues: Technology, Terror- ism, and Public Health” illustrates. Electricity is helpful when used by doctors to stimulate muscle healing and harmful when used by doctors who are poorly edu- cated or who work as torturers in dictatorships. Fetal monitors can depersonalize childbirth when nurses stare at the screens rather than pay attention to the preg- nant woman. But ultrasound imaging of fetuses can personalize pregnancy when fathers literally visualize their future children as real for the first time. In addition, such technologies can create a setting in which fathers, mothers, and health care workers can discuss the emotional aspects of pregnancy and child rearing.
