The Cure for Technological Problems.
Mesthene's opinion is that the problems of Technology can only be solved with more technology.  This is the First Principle and theme of the technological school of writers.  In their view Technology is a self-correcting system.  Any of the so called "negative externalities" can and will be corrected by further technological means.  Technological development exhibits a tendency to work toward the general good of the population.  Writers therefore call for the free development of technology- laissez innover!  They believe this to be defined as:
Organized knowledge for practical purposes.
They also add to this flexibilty and scientific purity, malleabilty in good, just and egalitarian purposes.  Therefore the analogy between technology and laissez-faire works.  While laissez-faire provided an optimum long run solution for social and economic problems, so too does this free play of technology.  These writers believe that only when technology is allowed the freest possible reign will the maximum social good be achieved.

Will this free development of technology bring about more social good and better innovations or will big corporations use this as an opportunity to improve there profits tremendously and squash all their smaller competition?

McDermott belives that American technology is moving in directions that are strongly antidemocratic.  One can see this through a close examination of the seemingly innocuos distinction between technology's positive opportunities and it's "negative externalities."  McDermott uses the Vietnam War as an example to illustrate this point.
 
 

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