Histories of Human Engineering
Tact and Technology

This fascinating account of the histories of human engineering reveals the importance of combining technology with tact.

Maarten Derksen (Author)

9781107637177, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 19 September 2019

278 pages
22.9 x 15.1 x 1.5 cm, 0.4 kg

'For historians of social science, the book is innovative in that the interface between social science and technology is investigated rather than presumed or critiqued a priori, and because it addresses the friction between the disciplines of sociology, psychology, and political science without presenting siloed disciplinary histories.' Bregje F. van Eekelen, Technology and Culture

The dream of control over human behaviour is an old dream, shared by many cultures. This fascinating account of the histories of human engineering describes how technologies of managing individuals and groups were developed from the nineteenth century to the present day, ranging from brainwashing and mind control to Dale Carnegie's art of dealing with people. Derksen reveals that common to all of them is the perpetual tension between the desire to control people's behaviour and the resistance this provokes. Thus to influence other people successfully, technology had to be combined with tact: with a personal touch, with a subtle hint, or with outright deception, manipulations are made palatable or invisible. Combining psychological history and theory with insights from science and technology studies and rhetorical scholarship, Derksen offers a fresh perspective on human engineering that will appeal to those interested in the history of psychology and the history of technology.

1. Introduction
2. Tact and technology
3. Scientific management and the human factor
4. 'Social technology'
5. Dale Carnegie and the fine art of dealing with people
6. Karl Popper's social technology and the personal element
7. Tactful leadership
8. Mind control
9. The priming saga: the subtle technology of psychological experimentation
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Technology: general issues [TB], Psychology [JM], Ethical issues: scientific & technological developments [JFMG]