Encountering with Technology: Reflections on Theoretical Perspectives and Iranian Experiences

At the present time, technology has become an integral part of the social existence of humans and is the most important factor in the social transformation of societies. However, different societies, given their cultural capabilities, have been various responses to technology. Some societies with the proper understanding of the nature of modern technology have used it as an unimaginable opportunity for their progress. Others have contributed to the importation of technology as a contingency, and now they are struggling with many cultural implications. The main question of the article is, what is our encountering with technology, and what analyzes and solutions have been provided by our thinkers in this regard? To answer this question, at first, various views on technology were put forward and strengths and weaknesses of each of them were elaborated in detail. Then, from the historical, philosophical, social, cultural and political point of view, we tried to analyze how our society encounters with modern technology. The results showed that in addition to the paradoxical approach to the technology in our society, systematic efforts to understand the problematic of technology have not been made.