Socially constructed technology (Feenberg, 'Questioning Technology')

The main innovation in Questioning Technology is Feenberg's use of the resu lts of various social constructivist accounts of science and technology to rethink the philosophy of technology. I agree with Feenberg that the social constructivist studies developed by historians nad sociologists refute the essentialist account of technology that has been the mainstream position o f philosophers of technology. The autonomy of technology seems to be nothin g but a myth from the point of view of social construction, since social an d political factors always influence decisions made in technology and scien ce. However, there is a tension in Feenberg's position, in that he seems to want to keep the general analytical framework that the essentialist accoun t of technology makes available, while at the same time rejecting essential ism and, indeed, showing forcefully how it gets in the way of the positive program he develops for democratizing technology, I argue that Feenberg sho uld clarify what kind of social constructive account of technology he will adopt, and that the general categories for understanding technology that Fe enberg retains are problematic. I conclude by arguing that a thoroughgoing antiessentialist philosophy of technology can still provide a general analy sis of modernity and develop normative claims including those regarding soc ial justice, without relying on general categories.