THE DIALECTIC OF TECHNOLOGY - COMMENTARY ON WARNER AND ENGLAND

Warner and England (1995) make a welcome argument for a technological science perspective for sociology based on a theory of humans as techn ological agents and an epistemology that includes ethical values. As w ith any sociological perspective, however, Warner and England's commen ts help to focus on and understand some aspects of social life and not others. This commentary provides a complementary focus by emphasizing the dialectical relationship between human agency and technological a gency. Furthermore, I argue that a dialectical view is necessary for g rounding Warner and England's theoretical argument and for acting on t heir ethical argument. Implications of a dialectical perspective for t he meaning and politics of technology are explored. The paper conclude s with a discussion of the suitability of ''science'' as a metaphor fo r sociology.