Technology is never neutral but already carries domination in its construction.
Evidence
In the face of the totalitarian features of this society, the traditional notion of the “neutrality” of technology can no longer be maintained. Technology as such cannot be isolated from the use to which it is put; the technological society is a system of domination which operates already in the concept and construction of techniques. — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man, 98
Categorization
- XREF: The anti-neutrality-of-technology thesis runs directly against common tech discourse — and connects to attention-economy debates where tools are treated as neutral pipes. — connects to: Liberation from technological domination requires preserving the technological base — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the…, 812; Domination is perpetuated by thought’s own ossification, not by technology; No technology is neutral; each reproduces or contests power — , The Braided Reading EPUB: 5-Year…, 2421 (+6 more)
- DEFINE: Core Marcusean claim that domination is inscribed in technique itself, not merely its application.
Broader Connections
- No technology is neutral; each reproduces or contests power
#corroborates(0.95) — , The Braided Reading EPUB, 2421 - Technology carries no inherent politics; usage determines its effects
#contradicts(0.95) - Technology’s political neutrality collapses when it becomes the universal form of production
#corroborates(0.85) — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man, 572 - Liberation from technological domination requires preserving the technological base
#expands(0.80) — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man, 812 - Domination is perpetuated by thought’s own ossification, not by technology
#contradicts(0.80) - Technology depends on ends that lie beyond technology itself
#qualifies(0.75) — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man, 823 - All cultural action either serves domination or liberation, never neutral
#corroborates(0.75) — Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 575