From processed food to compact discs, paper clips to penicillin, this resource reveals how scientific and technological advances depend more upon societal needs and priorities than on the internal forces of the scientist/creator/discoverer. There are more than 1300 entries. The three-volume Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Society is a landmark publication for the emerging area of study known as STS. It is the only source that both explores specific sciences and technologies and focuses on the historical and social dimensions behind each--how the dynamics of economics, society, and culture produce scientific and technological advances. This resource reveals how scientific and technological advances depend more on societal needs and priorities than on the internal forces of the scientist/creator/discoverer.
Each of the more than 1,300 entries and 200 illustrations connects a scientific or technological subject with its social causes and consequences. Coverage identifies how scientific and technological changes have modified our lives and stresses how outcomes have been both positive and negative.

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