This article attributes the many conflicting theories about the nature and direction of
contemporary technological society to the revolutionary and paradoxical character of
technology itself. Commentators come to very different conclusions about the same basic
phenomena; but their differences, while reflecting divergent assumptions and intellectual
styles, also reveal contradictions within the subject matter. Dialectical and historical
methods are introduced as ways to redefine the basic terms involved, augment traditional
studies, and indicate directions for authentic interdisciplinary research. A neo-Hegelian
approach can help resolve problems of method and interpretation in the field of science,
technology, and society, and reveal new possibilities for rational action and effective
social control.
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