"Must human beings submit to the harsh logic of machinery, or can technology be fundamentally redesigned to better serve its creators? This is the ultimate question on which the future of industrial civilization depends. It is not pri- marily a technical question but concerns a fundamental issue in social phi- losophy, the neutrality of technology and the related theory of technological determinism. If technology is neutral, then its immense and often disturb- ing social and environmental impacts are accidental side effects of progress. Much current debate polarizes around the question of whether these side effects outweigh the benefits. The advocates of further progress claim “rea- son” as their ally, while the adversaries defend “humanity” against machines and mechanistic social organizations. The stage is set for a struggle for and against technology."