Let’s practice some critical thinking. Consider the following question, and take

Let’s practice some critical thinking. Consider the following question, and take a stand.
Decide if you believe that technology is value-neutral or value-laden. You are not allowed to say it is both.
If you believe that technology is value-neutral, you are saying that you believe that it is, in its makeup, inherently free of societal values. You also believe that the values come simply from how it is used (e.g., whether a knife is used for good or evil has nothing to do with the knife).
If you believe that technology is value-laden, you are saying that you believe that the design of some technology has been influenced by our society’s normative structures (e.g., some technologies are more than simple knives).
Of the critical thinking skills we mentioned, you should certainly use judgment and communication in framing your answer. You probably also want to bring your own evidence in support of your position.
Note: We don’t expect you to scour the internet or your local library looking for an answer. In fact, looking across the internet for a single concise restatement of our question might leave you more confused than you were when you started your search. We’ll say now that that won’t be the last time that you feel that way in this class. Use external resources to educate yourself, but begin now to practice skepticism and judgment. The answer we want is what you ultimately believe, with references to the evidence you use in supporting this belief.
In organizing your response, pretend that you’re writing for a busy person. Start with a clear statement of your position, and then follow that statement with a short explanation of why you chose that stance. The response should end with 2-3 pieces of evidence that support your argument. In total, your response should be no longer than 3 paragraphs.
As we mentioned before, your response to this question will not be immediately shared with your classmates, but a few of them will (anonymously) review it and then provide feedback and a grade. You will be asked to do the same for a few of your peers’ responses.
When assessing the work of your fellow students, please use the following rubric:
Does the response take a clear position? We are looking for responses that really take a stand, not responses that talk about all of the alternatives without saying which is the preferred one.
Does the response provide a reason in support of the position being taken? This needs to be more than just the feeling of the person making the response (although emotional reaction may be a start).