PROMOTION OF RATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

Port for Techno-Democracy

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The recent technology has become too complicated and difficult for people to understand. People feel isolated from technology and are becoming suspicious as to whether the development of technology is only for the benefit of those monopolising it. These growing tendencies may be causes for serious concern to both people and technology in the future.

It is certainly true that technology has improved people's lives and that this has increased the expectations of future technological development. To develop technology responding to people's expectation in this way is both exciting and noble. Recently, however, it seems to me that the desire to advance in response to people's expectations has been lost, and that much technological development has taken place solely for the benefit of those developing the technology.


To restore the excitement and propriety in technological development, we should ask to whom does technology belong. Furthermore, taking our keys from the natural and social sciences, we should question the purposes of technological development. We wish to establish that the guiding principle and goal of technological development is that it is 'for the people, of the people, by the people' what we call the three principles of 'Techno-Democracy'. In order to achieve this, we should promote Rational Technology whereby people are able to take the initiative and participate. As it may be insufficient to rely on only people's goodwill and courage alone to promote this movement, we strongly feel the need to create an organisation that encourages and supports individuals and groups who promote and develop Rational Technology. To this end we have established this organisation; Promotion Of Rational Technology (abbreviation : PORT, sub title : Port for Techno-Democracy).

We define Rational Technology as the attempt to achieve technological democracy by means of removing technological monopoly. The necessary conditions are :

Non-professionals can easily understand the technology.

'Rational' means reasonable and sensible.

It must be easy to obtain people's co-operation or even possible for people to participate in it.

It must be exciting, promote creativity, and guide its researchers with a sense of social advancement or benefit.

It must respect other people's creativity, their fulfilment in life and be harmonious with the environment.

The organisation promotes Rational Technology through study groups, lecture meetings, quarterly PORT meetings, examples of Rational Technology (PORT Prize) and other PR activity. We also encourage and support people who are engaged in Rational Technology.

The basis of this organisation should be each individual, as we promote this movement not only with each individual's contribution to its own professional area but also from point of view of mankind as a whole. We also believe it is vital for healthy development of technology that we should promote this movement not only with technological professionals but also together with non-professionals.


Hiroaki Yanagida
Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo, PhD. Eng.
Representative of 'Promotion of Rational Technology' ( Port for Techno-Democracy)

Japanese