The Myth of Neutral Technology
Lexile: 1270 | Grade: 12
Passage
In discussions of innovation, technology is often framed as a neutral tool—an inert creation that merely reflects the intent of its user. Under this view, a hammer can build a house or inflict harm; the morality lies not in the tool, but in the hands that wield it. However, as technology becomes more embedded in the fabric of daily life, from algorithms that shape our newsfeeds to facial recognition systems used in policing, the idea of **neutrality** becomes increasingly difficult to sustain.
All technologies are designed within specific social, cultural, and political contexts. The questions of **who** creates them, **what** purposes they serve, and **whose values** are embedded in their design are rarely neutral. For instance, an algorithm that recommends news stories is not simply distributing information—it is shaping public discourse based on criteria defined by designers and business models. The system reflects implicit choices about what matters, what’s profitable, and what deserves visibility.
Even when unintended, these embedded biases can produce real-world consequences. Facial recognition systems, trained on unrepresentative datasets, have shown significantly lower accuracy for people with darker skin tones. Predictive policing tools can reinforce patterns of racial profiling if the data they’re built on reflects historical injustices. In these cases, what appears to be 'objective' decision-making is, in fact, an amplification of existing inequality.
The myth of technological neutrality persists because it offers a convenient escape from accountability. If a system produces discriminatory outcomes, designers and institutions can attribute the harm to the user or to the data, rather than interrogating the architecture of the tool itself. This **abdication of responsibility** hinders meaningful reform and masks the values silently encoded into the platforms we rely on.
To view technology critically is not to reject it, but to recognize that every system encodes assumptions—about efficiency, identity, fairness, and control. In an age where automated systems mediate everything from job applications to criminal sentencing, the question is not whether technology can be neutral, but **whose interests it serves** when it is not.
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Questions
Q1: Which of the following best states the author's central argument?
- A. Technology is only harmful when misused.
- B. All tools are morally neutral by design.
- C. Technology often reflects the biases and values of its creators.
- D. Technological progress is always ethically justified.
Q2: What does the author imply about the belief in 'neutral tools' like hammers and algorithms?
- A. It accurately captures how modern systems work.
- B. It oversimplifies the ethical responsibilities of design.
- C. It only applies to non-digital tools.
- D. It reflects the superiority of analog devices.
Q3: What is the rhetorical purpose of the example involving facial recognition technology?
- A. To explain how users misuse advanced technologies
- B. To support the claim that bias is embedded in design
- C. To demonstrate how policing is improved by automation
- D. To question the legitimacy of software in general
Q4: What does the phrase 'abdication of responsibility' most nearly mean in paragraph 4?
- A. Taking credit for others’ work
- B. Ignoring one’s duty or role in a harmful outcome
- C. Designing systems with full transparency
- D. Applying strict moral codes to inventions
Q5: What tone does the author use throughout the passage?
- A. Defensive and pessimistic
- B. Detached and indifferent
- C. Analytical and critical
- D. Optimistic and celebratory
Q6: Which sentence from the passage best reflects the author’s call to action?
- A. 'Technology is often framed as a neutral tool.'
- B. 'The morality lies not in the tool, but in the hands that wield it.'
- C. 'To view technology critically is not to reject it, but to recognize that every system encodes assumptions.'
- D. 'Hammers can build a house or inflict harm.'
Q7: What broader implication is suggested by the author’s discussion of algorithmic bias?
- A. All algorithms should be removed from public life.
- B. Automated systems can silently reinforce social inequalities if left unexamined.
- C. Technology cannot influence behavior unless misused.
- D. Algorithms are less useful than human judgment.
Q8: Which of the following best describes the structure of the passage?
- A. Personal narrative followed by statistical analysis
- B. Chronological account of historical inventions
- C. Claim supported by examples, followed by critique and resolution
- D. List of unrelated technologies without analysis
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Answers & Reasoning
Q1: Which of the following best states the author's central argument?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The passage argues that technologies are embedded with values and assumptions, making neutrality a myth.
Q2: What does the author imply about the belief in 'neutral tools' like hammers and algorithms?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The author critiques the metaphor of neutral tools as an oversimplification that avoids ethical scrutiny.
Q3: What is the rhetorical purpose of the example involving facial recognition technology?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: This example illustrates how bias can result not from misuse, but from flaws in design and data.
Q4: What does the phrase 'abdication of responsibility' most nearly mean in paragraph 4?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The phrase refers to how designers and institutions avoid accountability by treating systems as neutral.
Q5: What tone does the author use throughout the passage?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The tone is thoughtful and scrutinizing, aimed at examining assumptions and systems, not dismissing technology.
Q6: Which sentence from the passage best reflects the author’s call to action?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: This sentence expresses the author’s goal: encouraging critical awareness rather than rejection.
Q7: What broader implication is suggested by the author’s discussion of algorithmic bias?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The author warns that without critical scrutiny, technologies can unintentionally perpetuate systemic problems.
Q8: Which of the following best describes the structure of the passage?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The author presents a claim, supports it with concrete examples, critiques common assumptions, and concludes with a call to awareness.
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