Lesson plan
Technological fix
A technological fix, technical fix, technological shortcut or (techno-)solutionism is an attempt to use engineering or technology to solve a problem (often created by earlier technological interventions). The term “technological fix” was coined in the mid-1960s and popularized by the American physicist Alvin Weinberg, who defined it as "a means for resolving a societal problem by adroit use of technology and with little or no alteration of social behavior.” Some references consider that technological fixes are inevitable in modern technology, since it has been observed that many technologies, although invented and developed to solve certain perceived problems, often create other problems in the process, known as externalities. In this regard, technological fixes are viewed as an "attempt to repair the harm of a technology by modification of the system", that might involve modification of the machine and/or modification of the procedures for operating and maintaining it. In other words, there would be modification of the basic hardware, modification of techniques and procedures, or both. The technological fix is the idea that all problems can find solutions in better and new technologies.…
Article summary
A technological fix, technical fix, technological shortcut or (techno-)solutionism is an attempt to use engineering or technology to solve a problem (often created by earlier technological interventions). The term “technological fix” was coined in the mid-1960s and popularized by the American physicist Alvin Weinberg, who defined it as "a means for resolving a societal problem by adroit use of technology and with little or no alteration of social behavior.” Some references consider that technological fixes are inevitable in modern technology, since it has been observed that many technologies, although invented and developed to solve certain perceived problems, often create other problems in the process, known as externalities. In this regard, technological fixes are viewed as an "attempt to repair the harm of a technology by modification of the system", that might involve modification of the machine and/or modification of the procedures for operating and maintaining it. In other words, there would be modification of the basic hardware, modification of techniques and procedures, or both. The technological fix is the idea that all problems can find solutions in better and new technologies.…
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.