Conflicts over technology KGA172 Space, Place and Nature Presented by Associate Professor Elaine Stratford Semester 2

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD Part 1

Revising Lecture In 1690, Locke published his Essay Concerning Human Understanding, in which he argued that knowledge is based in experience externally derived from the senses. A corollary of that was that one’s environs [that which surrounds] were a huge storehouse for such experiences and could be used – mined for all they offered. Why and how might this position influence modern tourism? 2.Defend and exemplify the proposition that tourism affects the physical world, economic and social life – that is, space, place and nature – and does so at various scales. 3.Define tourism and ecotourism and provide at least three examples of how they differ. 4.What is meant by the terms place piracy and scenery mining? What conceptual and geopolitical work do these terms do? Are they helpful in understanding ecotourism? Auguste Rodin, A man thinking

Learning Objectives Module 3 Lecture 10 be able to – describe the salient characteristics of technophobia and technophilia – name and describe technology’s cultural promises and challenges or conflicts arising from those promises – appreciate how technology as an idea and technology practices together form a technology system that has significant influence on space, nature and place KGA172 Know and be able to (a) employ basic geographical terminology and concepts, (b) find, evaluate, analyse and reference appropriate literature, (c) contribute to debates about development and sustainability Comprehend and be able to explain spatial patterns, generate basic maps, field sketches and graphs, and communicate in written and graphical forms Apply key academic skills and (a) engage in critical thinking, discussion and listening, and in self-reflection and reflection upon the viewpoints of others and (b) research, plan and conduct fieldwork to collect data Analyse and interpret basic spatial, numerical and qualitative information Synthesize and integrate knowledge of social and Earth systems

Textbook Reading PaceyPacey, A. (1983) The Culture of Technology, Basil Blackwell, Oxford. RelphRelph, E. (2007) Spirit of place and sense of place in virtual realities, Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology, 10 (3) pp Further reading: Davison, A. (2004) Sustainable technology: beyond fix or fixation. In White, R. (ed) Controversies in Environmental Sociology. Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, pp Davison Critical reading 1. What is the author’s purpose? 2. What key questions or problems does the author raise? 3. What information, data and evidence does the author present? 4. What key concepts does the author use to organize this information, this evidence? 5. What key conclusions is the author coming to? Are those conclusions justified? 6. What are the author’s primary assumptions? 7. What viewpoints is the author writing from? 8. What are the implications of the author’s reasoning? [from Foundation for Critical Thinking]Foundation for Critical Thinking A man in a library

TECHNOLOGY REVEALED? Part 2

A significant question Does technology rule us or do we rule technology?

Technophobia voluntary simplicity Luddism Romanticism Wilderness Technological determinism Technology the master of the human servant Technophilia eco-efficiency green technology ecological modernisation natural capitalism technical-fixes Technological instrumentalism Technology the servant of the human master Technology is a means to humans ends

Green Promises "Today, environmental technology offers a win-win opportunity for our nation and the world as a whole: economic growth through the development and diffusion of environmental technology will result in more jobs, and a clean environment will mean a higher standard of living for ourselves and the generations that follow.” Office of the US President 1994

Defining technology Thinking of technology as technology practice : “the application of scientific and other knowledge to practical tasks by ordered systems that involve people and organizations, living things and machines” (Pacey, 1983:6). = technological system

(Pacey 1983, p.6) 1 2 3

… technology is always and inevitably geographical.

EXAMPLES THE CAR AND THE INTERNET Part 3

What are the organisational and cultural aspects of the motor vehicle technological system? !Bishido Code, 2008

NRbelex, 2007