Technology: source of happiness or anxiety?

A subject dear to my heart which is to be discussed next week at the Manchester Salon?

With the huge rise of social media and more and more people placing their private lives on public display, some are now beginning to question whether unfettered technological advance is necessarily a good thing.

The Salon has organised a discussion featuring prominent speakers David Lewin and James Heartfield. Beyond the internet and social media, the impact of technology on the environment – epitomised for many in the current controversy over shale gas fracking - is leading liberals to question the validity of technological advancement for its own sake.

David Lewin is a lecturer in philosophy at Liverpool University and interested in how philosophical approaches to technology can yield fruitful analysis.

James Heartfield is a founder of think tank, audacity, and has spoken widely in the past in the favour of industrial development and the benefits it can bring mankind.

The discussion will aim to draw out what our current relationship with technology tells us about the direction society is heading in, and how technology can help it resolve problems along the way.

It's taking place on 20 February, 2012, at 6.45pm, £5 entry. Venue: Shakespeare pub, Fountain Street, Manchester, M2 2AA

For further details on the event and Manchester Salon’s activities, contact Simon Belt at events@manchestersalon.org.uk or ring 07809 669824