The rhetoric and counter-rhetoric of a" bionic" technology
SS Blume - Science, Technology, & Human Values, 1997 - journals.sagepub.com
Science, Technology, & Human Values, 1997•journals.sagepub.com
Development of the cochlear implant, discussed in this article, depended vitally on deaf
people being persuaded to undergo implantation. Media" reconstruction" of the device as
the" bionic ear" was typically encouraged by implant pioneers. Unexpectedly, however, a"
counter-rhetoric" based on a very different understanding of deafness emerged. With it, deaf
people are slowly succeeding in gaining influence over the further deployment of the
technology. The analysis suggests modifications to existing theoretical models of …
people being persuaded to undergo implantation. Media" reconstruction" of the device as
the" bionic ear" was typically encouraged by implant pioneers. Unexpectedly, however, a"
counter-rhetoric" based on a very different understanding of deafness emerged. With it, deaf
people are slowly succeeding in gaining influence over the further deployment of the
technology. The analysis suggests modifications to existing theoretical models of …
Development of the cochlear implant, discussed in this article, depended vitally on deaf people being persuaded to undergo implantation. Media "reconstruction" of the device as the "bionic ear" was typically encouraged by implant pioneers. Unexpectedly, however, a "counter-rhetoric" based on a very different understanding of deafness emerged. With it, deaf people are slowly succeeding in gaining influence over the further deployment of the technology. The analysis suggests modifications to existing theoretical models of technological change in medicine.
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