This chapter was relatively interesting to me in that the comparisons Mitcham chooses to make are intriguing. Although the first two pages, in which he compares science and technology to ideas, seems like a waste of time, the rest of the chapter is quite interesting. In those first pages, he compares science to ideas. Seriously, isn’t science entirely made up of theories and ideas? He then tries to argue that technology is not related to ideas because technological ideas and theories aren’t as prevalent as scientific ideas. That’s like saying hotdogs need mustard but not hamburgers because hot dogs are more prevalent.
He then chooses to go into the ideal of ethics, and how it relates to different ideas. Essentially, he takes things like the environment, nuclear technology, and computers, and relates the ethical issues we’ve already made towards the traditional “ethics and interpersonal behaviors” we’ve come to think. All he’s doing during this part of the chapter is questioning where those ethics come from(aka humanity and ideas and science) and why they exist. I think the most interesting part is the nuclear ethics part where I’m not entirely sure which side he’s taken. He takes nuclear technology, an idea by scientists, and attempts to comment on the public disarray of nuclear programs around the world.
Finally, he questions the questions regarding technology. He essentially asks the readers a question, which is: Why ask questions about technology? The answer according to Mitcham is simple, and that is to slow the progression of technology. He makes himself to be almost a critic in that he defends questioning the very thing he’s been feeding us. He tells us that by questioning technology, we “immerse ourselves in philosophy.”
