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NewMediaandthefallofthePolishPeople’sRepublic
theory,aswellasintheireverydayunderstanding.Infact,thisquestiongoesbe-
yondtheoryandbecomesanundeniablemegatheory,anenormousmetaphor
joiningviewsonmediaandmoregeneralconvictionsabouttheworld.
AndrewFeenbergdistinguishesbetweenfourfundamentaltypesofatitudes
towardstechnology:5
Tab.1.AtitudestowardstechnologyaccordingtoA.Feenberg
Neutral
(completeseparation
ofmeansandends)
Value-laden
(meansformawayoflife
thatincludesends)
Technologyis:
Determinism
(e0g0traditionalMarxism)
Substantivism
(meansandendslinked
insystems)
Autonomous
Instrumentalism
(liberalfaithinprogress)
CriticalTheory
(choiceofalternative
means-endssystems)
Controlledbypeople
Source:AndrewFeenberg,QuestioningTechnology(London:Routledge,1999),9
Iftechnologyisautonomous,itschangesdependonsociety,andwhile
technologicalprogressisdrivenbypeople,theycanonlyperformtasksdevised
bytechnology.FeenbergseestraditionalMarxismasanexampleofthisatitude,
believingthatforMarx,technologyisaneutralpower,similartothepowerofna-
ture,onethatactscontinuouslyandcanbeusedtodilerentendsbyacapital-
istexploiteraswellasbyrevolutionaryproletariat:“Teultimatemotiveforce
ofhistoricalchangeistechnology,productiveforces,thewholeoftheequipment
availabletosocietyplusacquiredtechnicalabilityplusthetechnicaldivision
oflabour.”6Justliketheproletariatrevolution,technologicaldevelopmentneeds
totakeplace;however,muchliketherevolution,itwillnotstartitself.Trough
workintheirlaboratoriesandfactories,scientistsandengineersparticipate
inagreatproject-thedevelopmentofmankind.Teyareitsagents,butthey
don’toperateautonomously.7
Eventhoughthetableabovepresentsthefourtypesofatitudesasequal,
determinismis,infact,rarelyaccompaniedbyabeliefthattechnologyisneutral
5AndrewFeenberg,QuestioningTechnology(London:Routledge,1999),9.
6LeszekKołakowski,MainCurrentsofMarxism.ItsRise,GrowthandDissolution,
VolumeI:TeFounders,trans.P.S.Falla(Oxford:ClarendonPress,1978),337.
7TisisFeenberg’sposition,butitisquestionabletowhatextentMarxreallyper-
ceivedtechnologyasawhollyneutralforce.ItislikelythatthenewestresearchonMarx’s
work,includingunpublishedworks,willshedsomelightonthemater.Seeadetailed
studyontheroleoftechnologyinMarx’swork:ReginaRoth,“Marxontechnicalchange
inthecriticaledition,”TeEuropeanJournaloftheHistoryofEconomicTought17,no.5
(2010).
