Piecemeal social engineering resembles physical engineering in regarding the ends as beyond the province of technology. (All that technology may say about ends is whether or not they are compatible with each other or realizable.)
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Social engineering should treat societal goals as separate from technological means, focusing only on feasibility and compatibility.
- In plain terms
- Technology can tell us if goals are possible, but not what goals we should pursue.
- What can you take from it?
- Keep technology separate from deciding societal ends.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Who decides societal goals?
- Can technology dictate values?
Another view
Technology often influences what goals seem desirable.
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