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Is software political? (www.jstor.org)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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In this paper the author highlights how both engineers and social scientists misinterpret the relationship between technology and society. In particular he attacks the narrative, widespread among engineers, that technological artifacts, such as software, have no political properties in themselves and that function or efficiency are the only drivers of technological design and implementation.

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[+] [email protected] -21 points 3 months ago (4 children)

Agreed. It seems like some people just want to shoehorn politics into everything. Like people who start complaining about branch names (master vs main), gendering or non-gendering words, arguing about mascots, insisting their code of conduct be implemented, or whatever else.

I'm sure there's an appropriate meme for it.

Anti Commercial-AI license

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Yes. The meme is the belief that societies divide neatly into "political' and "non-political" systems. Those carrying the meme often find themselves confused as to why there are "political" aspects to the "non-political" systems that they interact with and rely upon. An easy temporary antidote to disrupt this meme: Politics is merely the discussion required to establish or change policies; the non-political systems are those which have no policies whatsoever, which are the systems that aren't managed by humans. All human systems are political.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

Sometimes people get to learn that politics is in everything managed by humans the hard way, I recommend against it

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Am I the only one that finds it ironic to say all of that then include a license for your comment?

[–] [email protected] -3 points 3 months ago

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

Everything a person does is always considered politics to someone else, whether you like it or not. Choosing NOT to change your branch names etc. is itself considered a political position to many.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

None of what you mentioned is actually about politics, it's just a list of outrage-bait