Computers and Society in the Past Half Century The Conquest of Will Revisited

Almost fifty years ago, the author wrote the first comprehensive critical study of social issues in computing, The Conquest of Will (1976). This new book revisits this seminal study, featuring an overview of technological advances over the past half century, and provides a unique comparison between...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mowshowitz, Abbe
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Bradford Ethics International Press Limited 2024
Edition:1
Subjects:
Computers and civilization
ISBN:9781804415429, 1804415421
Online Access:Get full text
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Table of Contents:
  • 2. The Uses of Intelligent Machines -- 3. Models of Human Behavior -- 4. Some Consequences of Reductionism -- 5. Identity and Conduct -- Chapter 15. Literary Perspectives on the Machine -- 1. The Problematic Machine -- 2. Abundance and Freedom from Toil -- 3. Control of Behavior -- 4. Challenge to the Gods -- 5. The Conquest of Will -- Chapter 3 -- Chapter 4 -- Chapter 5 -- Chapter 8 -- Chapter 9 -- Chapter 10 -- Chapter 11 -- Chapter 12 -- Chapter 13 -- Chapter 14
  • Intro -- Introduction: Computers and Society in the Past Half Century -- Historical Context (See Chapters 1 and 2) -- Computer Utilization (See Chapter 3) -- Management and Decision Making (See Chapter 4) -- Employment and Work Life (See Chapter 5) -- Education (See Chapter 6) -- Health Care (See Chapter 7) -- The Computer Utility (See Chapter 8) -- Privacy and Surveillance (See Chapter 9) -- Computers and Government (See Chapter 10) -- Systems Analysis and Modelling (See Chapter 11) -- The Myth of Complexity (See Chapter 12) -- Man-Machine Interaction (See Chapter 13) -- Machine Intelligence and Human Identity (See Chapter 14) -- Conquest of Will (See Chapter 15) -- Conclusion -- The Conquest of Will: Information Processing in Human Affairs -- Preface -- Contents -- Part I. Historical Perspectives -- Chapter 1. Technology in Western Culture -- 1. Technology and the Contemporary Scene -- 2. Social History of Technology -- 3. Social and Cultural Origins of the Machine Age -- 4. Some Consequences of the Mechanistic Mentality -- 5. Summary -- Chapter 2. Computing in History -- 1. Mechanization of Arithmetic: I. Exploration and Growth -- 2. Mechanization of Arithmetic: II. Government Record Keeping -- 3. Automation of Control -- 4, Synthesis -- 5. Consolidation before Revolution -- 6. The Birth of the Computer -- Chapter 3. Computer Utilization -- 2. Social Investment in Computer Applications -- 3. General Features of the Computer Industry -- 5. Politics of Computers -- Chapter 4. Information Processing in Corporate Decision-Making -- 1. Information Processing in Management -- 2. Effects of Automation on Managers -- 3. The Corporate Computer Facility -- 4. Hierarchy as an Organizational Principle -- 5. Centralization of Control -- Chapter 5. The Changing Character of Work -- 1. Responses to Technological Change
  • 2. Automation and the Work Environment -- 3. Effects of Automation on Employment -- 4. The Role of Work in Contemporary Society -- Chapter 6. Education and the Growth of Knowledge -- 1. Computers and the Aims of Education -- 2. Some Innovative Systems -- 3. Prospects for Computer-Assisted Instruction -- 4. Computers in Research -- Chapter 7. Computers in Health-Care -- 1. Information Systems in Health-Care -- 2. Computers in Diagnosis and Treatment -- 3. The Changing Character of Medical Practice -- 4. Delivery of Health-Care Services -- 5. Computers, Health, and the Public Interest -- Part III. Challenge: Control of Disorder -- Chapter 8, Computer Utilities -- 2. Computer Network Development -- 4. The Coming Financial Computer Utility -- Chapter 9. Privacy and Surveillance -- 1. Forms of Surveillance -- 2. Public and Private -- 3. Privacy in a Pluralistic Society -- 4. Formal Mechanisms for Protecting Privacy -- 5. On the Efficacy of Formal Safeguards -- Chapter 10. Information and the Political Process -- 7. Databanks: Distribution and Variety -- 2. Databanks: Expected Contributions -- 4. Planning in a Democracy -- 5. Computers and Political Power -- Chapter 11. Systems Analysis and Political Decision-Making -- 1. Methods of the Information Age -- 2. Traditional Methods and the Systems Approach -- 4. Modeling Social Systems -- 5. Systems Analysis and the Public Interest -- Chapter 12. Information, Power and Complexity -- 2. Information, Choice and Structure -- 5. The Myth of Complexity -- Part IV. Identity and Uncertainty: The Machine as Mirror Image -- Chapter 13. Man-Machine Interaction -- 1. The Human Meaning of Mechanization -- 2. The Man-Machine Dichotomy -- 3. Symbiosis or Parasitism -- 4. Popular Attitudes Toward Computers -- 5. The Moral Imperative -- Chapter 14. Machine Intelligence and Human Identity -- 1. Computers and Intelligence