ABSTRACT
Hardly anything has shaped the character of our age more than technology. It has alleviated human suffering, improved living conditions and quality of life for large parts of humanity but has also facilitated unprecedented destruction – of lives and of nature. By use of technology humans have become the dominant force on this globe, likely even in geological terms (Anthropocene). Two aspects of technology are particularly challenging for sustainability: Its immensely increased power with effects and side-effects of unprecedented impact – in both time and space; and the almost deterministic character of technological development (what can be done will be done), which leaves little room for public discourse and political regulation.
