Innovation - the imaginative attempt to introduce something new or to solve some problem - smashes routine and demands choice, even if only the choice to retain the status quo. This collection of fourteen essays provides a spectrum of historical perspectives on how, when, or why, individuals, societies, governments, and industries have made choices regarding the use of technologies. Through historical accounts that span centuries and national boundaries, exploring the complexity of a nuclear power plant and the apparent simplicity of an electrical plug, the contributors to this volume dramatically illustrate the push and pull between technology and society. General topics addressed include: Regulation of private industry Social acceptance of commercial innovation Negative perceptions of the "Technological Age" Cultural and artistic features of technology Provocative and accessible, this collection will serve both students and faculty in history, sociology, and public policy, as well as in history and philosophy of science and technology. These essays were originally published in the journal Technology and Culture

The essays in this volume offer a wide variety of fresh perspectives on the assessment of quality in science and technology. They proceed from the premise that while quantitative measures may be useful for gross assessments, a rounded picture of scientific activity requires qualitative measures that are sensitive to the ethical, conceptual, social, and historical contexts of science. Among the questions they explore are: How do we develop such qualitative measures? Are different measures needed for different groups involved in and affected by scientific work? What are the constraints on quality?Overall, the book provides a solid base on which the debate over public assessments of science and the development of indicators of quality may proceed.Contributors include Sissela Bok, Lewis Branscomb, Harvey Brooks, George E. Brown, Jr., Don Fuqua, Orrin G. Hatch, Donald Hornig, Roy MacLeod, Bruce Mazlish, Robert S. Morison, Kenneth Prewitt, Doug Walgren, Peter Weingart, and Daniel Yankelovich.Marcel Chotkowski La Follette is editor of the journal Science, Technology, & Human Values, in which most of these essays first appeared.

Innovation - the imaginative attempt to introduce something new or to solve some problem - smashes routine and demands choice, even if only the choice to retain the status quo. This collection of fourteen essays provides a spectrum of historical perspectives on how, when, or why, individuals, societies, governments, and industries have made choices regarding the use of technologies. Through historical accounts that span centuries and national boundaries, exploring the complexity of a nuclear power plant and the apparent simplicity of an electrical plug, the contributors to this volume dramatically illustrate the push and pull between technology and society. General topics addressed include: Regulation of private industry Social acceptance of commercial innovation Negative perceptions of the "Technological Age" Cultural and artistic features of technology Provocative and accessible, this collection will serve both students and faculty in history, sociology, and public policy, as well as in history and philosophy of science and technology. These essays were originally published in the journal Technology and Culture