ABSTRACT
The pervasiveness of technology appears to be increasing in urban-industrial societies and elsewhere - enough for the phrase "the technological society" to become common. The inappropriateness of technology may be reflected in the severity of unforeseen side effects, or by the gradual change in the dynamics and structures over time of a society through its dependence upon technology. The emerging field of social studies in science and technology has provided overwhelming evidence that technology is not neutral, that it does exert a significant determining influence in society, and that choice from amongst technological alternatives is necessary. The concept of Appropriate Technology may be viewed as an attempt to provide an adequate framework for dealing with the issues of technology choice just intimated. The state of technology in the economy was seen as something which was "given" at any particular period, changing from time to time as "breakthroughs" emerged from the supposedly independent activities of scientists and engineers.
