Sci&Tech History

What make a man, man? What is the difference between man and woman? In gender discourse, those questions are the main issues: why bother about gender if there are no difference between them. Further, how can we construct an understanding about society, both human and machine, based on those differences. Can we assess a certain technology as feminine and the other as masculine, or technology doesn’t have any gender? Moreover, what kind of indicator can we use to assess it?

Maybe we can start to answer those questions by elaborate several case studies, such as male domination in electronic, or female domination in biology and pharmacy study program. Do those tendencies related with man strength (physical), mental (psychology) or social construction? By observing bicycle evolution, I believe there are some iteration between social construction and nature, but how can we assess such thing whether something is natural and the other is socially constructed?

In bio energy case, nature versus human become political. In one hand, Uni Europe has made a target to develop bio energy. In the other hand, activist from environment organization and universities forced their government to refuse raw bio energy materials from country who abandon environment sustainability. As a compromise, Uni Europe launched regulation on raw materials that can enter Uni Europe market. In a short period, political step can run quite well, but in long term, the nature can strike back. Climate change, flood, global warming, decrease of soil fertile, etc.

So how long can we abandon nature over social construction?

Post to: delicious, Digg, ma.gnolia, Stumbleupon