Harmonious Technology

Technology has become a major subject of philosophical ethical reflection in recent years, as the novelty and disruptiveness of technology confront us with new possibilities and unprecedented outcomes as well as fundamental changes to our "normal" ways of living that demand deep reflection of technology. However, philosophical and ethical analysis of technology has until recently drawn primarily from the Western philosophical and ethical traditions, and philosophers and scholars of technology discuss the potential contribution of non-Western approaches only sparingly. Given the global nature of technology, however, there is an urgent need for multiculturalism in philosophy and ethics of technology that include non-Western perspectives in our thinking about technology. While there is an increased attention to non-Western philosophy in the field, there are few systematic attempts to articulate different approaches to the ethics of technology based on other philosophical and ethical traditions. The present edited volume picks up the task of diversifying the ethics of technology by exploring the possibility of Confucian ethics of technology. In the six chapters of this volume, the authors examine various ideas, concepts, and theories in Confucianism and apply them to the ethical challenges of technology; in the epilogue, the editors review the key ideas articulated throughout the volume to identify possible ways forward for Confucian ethics of technology. Harmonious Technology revives Confucianism for philosophical and ethical analysis of technology and presents Confucian ethics of technology as another approach to the ethics of technology. It will be essential for philosophers and ethicists of technology, who are urged to consider beyond the Western paradigms. More broadly, the volume will be of interest to students and scholars in the fields of philosophy, science and technology studies, innovation studies, political science, and social studies.

A collection of readings, spanning an authorial range from Karl Marx to Studs Terkel, that focus on the conflicting views and arguments concerning the nature of modern technological systems as they relate to the quality of everyday life and to the larger problems of human survival on the planet. Ann

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Numerous problems are poised to jeopardize the political stability of China and cast a shadow on the moral foundation of its economic reform. How to cope with these new problems is a daunting task facing the Chinese leadership and people in the twenty-first century. The new generation of leadership under Hu Jintao has begun to search for solutions and direction. "Building a harmonious society" based on a "scientific view of development" has become a new catchphrase in political and academic discourse in China and a newly adopted program by the Chinese government. In this context China in Search of a Harmonious Society brings together a group of China scholars to examine this new concept proposed by the Chinese leadership under Hu Jintao, its important implications for the future of Chinese political development, and some major issues and questions in China's academic and public debate on the search for a harmonious society. This book will be of interest to professors and students of China studies, as well as policymakers and researchers. Book jacket.

The proceedings of an International Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, January 1993, providing a comprehensive overview of environmental issues in Central European countries, and a look at possible problem-solving approaches with comparative studies based on some current Western practices. The volume is organized in three parts: environmental management--principles and experiences; challenges to Central European countries (Poland/Czechy and Slovaky//Hungary/Romania/ex-USSR/ex-East Germany); and systems analysis and techno-economic modeling. No index. Note: the $120 price is estimated; the publisher's price is 590 francs. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Assisted by Scott Olsen ( Central Florida Community College, USA ). This volume is a result of the author's four decades of research in the field of Fibonacci numbers and the Golden Section and their applications. It provides a broad introduction to the fascinating and beautiful subject of the OC Mathematics of Harmony, OCO a new interdisciplinary direction of modern science. This direction has its origins in OC The ElementsOCO of Euclid and has many unexpected applications in contemporary mathematics (a new approach to a history of mathematics, the generalized Fibonacci numbers and the generalized golden proportions, the OC goldenOCO algebraic equations, the generalized Binet formulas, Fibonacci and OC goldenOCO matrices), theoretical physics (new hyperbolic models of Nature) and computer science (algorithmic measurement theory, number systems with irrational radices, Fibonacci computers, ternary mirror-symmetrical arithmetic, a new theory of coding and cryptography based on the Fibonacci and OC goldenOCO matrices). The book is intended for a wide audience including mathematics teachers of high schools, students of colleges and universities and scientists in the field of mathematics, theoretical physics and computer science. The book may be used as an advanced textbook by graduate students and even ambitious undergraduates in mathematics and computer science. Sample Chapter(s). Introduction (503k). Chapter 1: The Golden Section (2,459k). Contents: Classical Golden Mean, Fibonacci Numbers, and Platonic Solids: The Golden Section; Fibonacci and Lucas Numbers; Regular Polyhedrons; Mathematics of Harmony: Generalizations of Fibonacci Numbers and the Golden Mean; Hyperbolic Fibonacci and Lucas Functions; Fibonacci and Golden Matrices; Application in Computer Science: Algorithmic Measurement Theory; Fibonacci Computers; Codes of the Golden Proportion; Ternary Mirror-Symmetrical Arithmetic; A New Coding Theory Based on a Matrix Approach. Readership: Researchers, teachers and students in mathematics (especially those interested in the Golden Section and Fibonacci numbers), theoretical physics and computer science."

The ABC of Harmony is the dawn of a shining, harmonious vision of peace and prosperity for all the nations of the planet earth! Together with it, enlightened citizens will emerge capable of building a harmonious civilization of peace and prosperity on the planet earth. - Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam (poet, President of India, 2002-2007)

This book investigates how we should form ourselves in a world saturated with technologies that are profoundly intruding in the very fabric of our selfhood. New and emerging technologies, such as smart technological environments, imaging technologies and smart drugs, are increasingly shaping who and what we are and influencing who we ought to be. How should we adequately understand, evaluate and appreciate this development? Tackling this question requires going beyond the persistent and stubborn inside-outside dualism and recognizing that what we consider our "inside" self is to a great extent shaped by our "outside" world. Inspired by various philosophers – especially Nietzsche, Peirce and Lacan –this book shows how the values, goals and ideals that humans encounter in their environments not only shape their identities but also enable them to critically relate to their present state. The author argues against understanding technological self-formation in terms of making ourselves better, stronger and smarter. Rather, we should conceive it in terms of technological sublimation, which redefines the very notion of human enhancement. In this respect the author introduces an alternative, more suitable theory, namely Technological Sublimation Theory (TST). Extimate Technology will be of interest to scholars and advanced students working in philosophy of technology, philosophy of the self, phenomenology, pragmatism, and history of philosophy. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781003139409, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

In 1965, in the midst of the Vietnam War, Tùng-Phong reached out to the Vietnamese leaders in the North and South. He wanted to inform his contemporaries about the short-term needs of Vietnam as a whole and opine on long-term goals. The result was the book he published in October 1965: Chính- Vit-Nam or Vietnam Geopolitical Affairs. His daughter, Elizabeth T. Le, offers the first English translation of the landmark book in this text composed of three parts: Part one offers a history of Vietnam from the year 938, when Ngo-Quyen reclaimed An-Nam’s (then Vietnam) independence after one thousand years of Chinese domination. Part two contains what led to the general uprising, the revolt in the nineteenth century, communism, Dien Bien Phu, and the Vietnam War (called the American War in Vietnam). Part three is the translation of her father’s book. What made her father’s book powerful is he explored where Vietnam stood on the world stage and the historical baggage it carried. Moreover, he sought to find out how Vietnam could propel itself forward for the sake of future generations.

This book examines the challenge of accelerating automation, and argues that countering and adapting to this challenge requires new methodological, philosophical, scientific, sociological, economic, ethical, and political perspectives that fundamentally rethink the categories of work and education. What is required is political will and social vision to respond to the question: What is the role of education in a digital age characterized by potential mass technological unemployment? Today’s technologies are beginning to cost more jobs than they create – and this trend will continue. There have been many proposed solutions to this problem, and they invariably involve an educational vision. Yet, in a world that simply doesn’t offer enough work for everyone, education is clearly not a panacea for technological unemployment. This collection presents responses to this question from a wide spectrum of disciplines, including but not limited to education studies, philosophy, history, politics, sociology, psychology, and economics.