Milkbar.com.au

 

  
 
| local | global | begin | introduction |globalisation| humanities| techne| end | bibliophile | link | find
welcome to milkbar.com.au
visitors book
milkbar manifesto
fitzroy history
map
photofile: the perfumed remains of the industrial era
about the author
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 


 

 

The Milkbar Manifesto: 'Does Technology Drive History?'(1)

  • The proprietor of the milkbar believes that technology advances in a social context. Technology and society cannot be separated; we cannot understand society without communications devices, and technology cannot exist without society (and Historians use technology to communicate understandings of our past)
  • Technology is not always important. However, the meanings and opinions embedded within the technology are. Technology is a modern word that combines the Greek techne (skill, metier) with logos (knowledge). Techne crudely translates into the 'skill of knowledge' and is not just the skill of technique or the skill of creating a form.
  • There can be no such thing as a Luddite
  • The proprietor of the milkbar believes that no one disciplinary discourse or practice owns the Internet
  • The proprietor of the Milkbar believes in the public good model of the Internet
  • The proprietor of the Milkbar believes that the set of ideas called 'cyberspace' are not that helpful. Technology lives in a place as well as a history of ideas; technology is not placeless, amnesia is not freedom.
  • The proprietor of the milkbar believes than technology need not be utilitarian, technology need not be useful, technology need not be rational. Technology is embedded within culture and culture is contradictory.
  • The proprietor of the milkbar believes that proselytisation, determinism, monomania, transcendence, 'vangardism', neologisms, sophism, solipsism, and 'e'-separatism are cheap tricks by people who really aren't that special.
  • Beware of the technolgist as condottiere (ie. anything for anybody anywhere)
  • The proprietor of the milkbar believes that technology does not always lead, people with technology lead (in this instance, historiographical and methodological approaches lead, combined with technology)
  • The proprietor of the milkbar believes that you have a right to be Libertarian, but I also have a right not to be killed (understanding power is a good start in escaping the the iron-cage of post-industrial Libertarianism).
  • The proprietor of the milkbar respects process-led learning models, but not without understanding the particular contextual knowledge that the model seeks to advance (ie. History)
  • History is an art, not a science (design is something else all together).

(1) Merritt Roe Smith and Leo Marx (eds) Does Technology Drive History? : The Dilemma of Technological Determinism, Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 1994.

Authored by Craig BellamyŠ 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003


Last Updated :

Milkbar.com.au (Begin)

 

Milkbar.com.au

 

  
 
| local | global | begin | introduction |globalisation| humanities| techne| end | bibliophile | link | find
welcome to milkbar.com.au
visitors book
milkbar manifesto
fitzroy history
map
photofile: the perfumed remains of the industrial era
about the author
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


 

 

The Milkbar Manifesto: 'Does Technology Drive History?'(1)

  • The proprietor of the milkbar believes that technology advances in a social context. Technology and society cannot be separated; we cannot understand society without communications devices, and technology cannot exist without society (and Historians use technology to communicate understandings of our past)
  • Technology is not always important. However, the meanings and opinions embedded within the technology are. Technology is a modern word that combines the Greek techne (skill, metier) with logos (knowledge). Techne crudely translates into the 'skill of knowledge' and is not just the skill of technique or the skill of creating a form.
  • There can be no such thing as a Luddite
  • The proprietor of the milkbar believes that no one disciplinary discourse or practice owns the Internet
  • The proprietor of the Milkbar believes in the public good model of the Internet
  • The proprietor of the Milkbar believes that the set of ideas called 'cyberspace' are not that helpful. Technology lives in a place as well as a history of ideas; technology is not placeless, amnesia is not freedom.
  • The proprietor of the milkbar believes than technology need not be utilitarian, technology need not be useful, technology need not be rational. Technology is embedded within culture and culture is contradictory.
  • The proprietor of the milkbar believes that proselytisation, determinism, monomania, transcendence, 'vangardism', neologisms, sophism, solipsism, and 'e'-separatism are cheap tricks by people who really aren't that special.
  • Beware of the technolgist as condottiere (ie. anything for anybody anywhere)
  • The proprietor of the milkbar believes that technology does not always lead, people with technology lead (in this instance, historiographical and methodological approaches lead, combined with technology)
  • The proprietor of the milkbar believes that you have a right to be Libertarian, but I also have a right not to be killed (understanding power is a good start in escaping the the iron-cage of post-industrial Libertarianism).
  • The proprietor of the milkbar respects process-led learning models, but not without understanding the particular contextual knowledge that the model seeks to advance (ie. History)
  • History is an art, not a science (design is something else all together).

(1) Merritt Roe Smith and Leo Marx (eds) Does Technology Drive History? : The Dilemma of Technological Determinism, Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 1994.

Authored by Craig BellamyŠ 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003


Last Updated :