Langdon Winner’s theory of technological politics:Rethinking science and technology for future society

In the 2020 Prague Virtual Conference of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S), Langdon Winner was awarded the society’s John D. Bernal Prize jointly with Sharon Traweek. The Bernal Prize is awarded annually to individuals who have made distinguished contributions to the field of STS. Prize recipients include founders of the field of STS, along with outstanding scholars who have devoted their careers to the understanding of the social dimensions of science and technology. This response to Winner’s Bernal lecture reflects on his theory of technological politics, its implications for the psychology of technology as well as its relevance for rethinking science and technology for future society

Kritische Psychologie: psychology from the standpoint of the subject

German (or German/Scandinavian) Kritische Psychologie emerged in the context of intellectual and political struggles at the Free University in former West Berlin during the 1960s and 1970s (see Osterkamp and Schraube 2013 for an overview; Maiers 1999; Mørck and Huniche 2006; Tolman 1994). While based on a number of topical contributions (including Dreier 1980; Haug 1987; Holzkamp 1973; Osterkamp 1976; Tolman and Maiers 1991; Schurig 1975), Klaus Holzkamp’s (1927–1995) work played a pivotal role for Kritische Psychologie. Its philosophical foundation is informed by historical dialectical materialism, and, specifically, builds on ideas developed in Marx’s social theory and theses on Feuerbach concerning human subjectivity and practice (coining practice research), as well as the cultural-historical activity theory of Vygotsky, and above all, Leontiev (a legacy which has been taken up in various other alternative psychologies as well, cf. Engeström 1987; Hedegaard and Chaiklin 2005; Wertch 1991). Whilst the term ‘Kritische Psychologie’ is used widely in this context, it is problematic. First, it is too generic, creating the impression this was a homogeneous approach (it was a heterogeneous and collective endeavour from the start), or indeed the only critical psychology in Germany; second, it implies that the approach as such is limited to German language context, which is not true; and third, and most importantly, the prefix ‘Kritische’ might suggest an anti-psychological vision which, is precisely not what Klaus Holzkamp et al. had in mind. This Kritische Psychologie is an attempt to rescue psychology from itself by redefining psychology as a historically developed theory about subjects as societal beings (based on the concept of the societal nature of human existence), and to reconstitute it as a psychology for and about these subjects. In this way it sought to overcome the problems caused by traditional psychology’s mapping of the abstract and external scientific ‘third-person’ perspective onto its object of study by establishing a ‘Psychology from the Standpoint of the Subject’ (PSS). This is why in this chapter we will refer to PSS instead of ‘Kritische Psychologie’ (Tolman 1989) or ‘German Critical Psychology’ (Markard and Reimer 2013)

Self and Other in the Psychological Study of Technology

Der Artikel untersucht den Stellenwert der Ersten-Person-Perspektive für das konzeptuelle Verständnis menschlicher Subjektivität und Intersubjektivität in der psychologischen Technikforschung. In einem ersten Schritt wird das mechanistische Wirkungsdenken und die verbreitete Ausblendung der subjektiven Dimension menschlicher Lebenspraxis in der heutigen Psychologie beschrieben und gezeigt, warum die damit einhergehende Forschung die Bedeutung der Technik für die Lebensführung der Menschen nur unzureichend untersuchen kann. Daraufhin wird begründet, warum ein präzisiertes konzeptuelles Verständnis des Ichs und des Anderen den Einbezug der Ersten-Person-Perspektive erfordert, und zudem werden Grundprinzipien einer dialektischen Technikforschung vom Standpunkt des Subjekts ausskizziert.The article explores the significance of the first-person perspective for the conceptual understanding of self and other in the psychological study of technology. Starting with a critical discussion of the deterministic effect thinking and disregard of the subjective disposition of human life in psychology today, it is elucidated how research implied in such an approach falls short to explore the implications of technology in humans’ conducts of life. Thereupon, it is substantiated why a refined conceptual understanding of self and other presupposes the first-person perspective; finally an outline of basic principles of the dialectical study of technology from the standpoint of the subject is presented

Aufbruch zu einem unbekannten Kontinent: für eine experimentierende psychologische Technikforschung

Obwohl seit vielen Jahren gefordert, kommt in der Psychologie der Erforschung des Verhältnisses von Mensch und Technik noch immer ein geringer Stellenwert zu. In diesem Zusammenhang wird gefragt, warum der Psychologie bislang die Auseinandersetzung mit Technik so schwer fällt. Dazu wird das wissenschaftliche Selbstverständnis der herkömmlichen Psychologie beleuchtet. Dabei wird in Anknüpfung an alternative Theorieströmungen für eine radikale Neuorientierung des psychologischen Wissenschaftsverständnisses argumentiert, und Leitprinzipien einer experimentierenden, problemzentrierten und interdisziplinär ausgerichteten psychologischen Technikforschung werden vorgestellt