Agency and Citizenship in a Technological Society

Citizenship implies agency, but what is agency and how is agency possible in a technologically advanced society where so much of life is organized around technical systems commanded by experts? This paper addresses these questions from the standpoint of philosophy of technology and constructivist technology studies. The paper first establishes the conditions of agency, which are knowledge, power, and an appropriate occasion. It then considers the role of bias in the construction of technological systems and the importance of participant interests in modifying that bias. Finally, the paper addresses the wider issue of the prospects for civilizational change required by the environmental crisis in a globalizing technological regime.