Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part one. Defining . The nature of technology ; Winners and losers : the differential effects of technological change -- part two. The process of technological change. The sources of technological change ; Scientific knowledge and technological advance ; The diffusion of technology -- part three How technology affects the health of earth and its inhabitants. Technology, energy, and the environment ; Medical technologies ; Genetic technologies -- part four. Technology and the transformation of work. Work in nonindustrial societies ; Technology and jobs : more of one and less of the other? ; Technological changes and life on the job -- part five. Communication. Printing ; The electronic media : from the telegraph to television ; The Internet age -- part six. The tools of destruction. Weapons and their consequences ; The era of smart weapons ; How new weapons emerge- and how they may be contained -- part seven. The shaping and control of technology. Technology and its creators : who's in charge of whom? ; Organizations and technological change ; Governing technology.