Abstract
Summary : Two slim volumes surveying all the critical issue of the impact of computer technology on society are directed at the undergraduate student in either social or engineering sciences. The Ermann book has the value of reproducing original articles that provide depth and detail on the topics addressed, whereas the forester volume gives a more coherent feel for the breadth of issues that can arise when examining the social impacts of technology. Both contain useful but out-of-date references.
Computer scientists nedd to ponder the ethics of their creations more than they currently do. Ethicists and social scientists generally need to understand high technology. Indeed, all citizens would benefit from anlysing the impact computer and communications technologies are having upon or economy, in our workplaces, and in our interactions. The unconscious becomes conscious as the tools we use reshape the thoughts that place ourselves in our world.
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