Living with Technology

Friz Lang (Metropolis, 1927), Charlie Chaplin (Modern Times, 1936), Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, 1982) and Lanna and Lilly Wachowski (Matrix, 1999, 2003, 2021) are but some film directors that presented a world controlled by technology. It is a world that makes humans miserable and detaches us (them) from our true nature. Despite the negative criticisms of the effects technology have on human nature, we can also try to understand how technology offers us insights into human behavior and capabilities. Technology is the work of men and women and as such is part of their nature. In fact, technology has been around since the beginning of history and has transformed the world and our place in it. In this course we will focus on the different understandings of technology and how it has affected our behaviors and our perceptions of the world and society.