Those who hold scientific truth have the power to change societies. Many times in the past, that scientific knowledge has been used to manipulate or marginalize. This week Worldview is hosting a series on the intersection of science and power politics. Today’s conversation focuses on how technological advancement and engineering have purported great social improvement, but how social biases can also get built into the technology as it evolves. In 1980, Langdon Winner wrote a landmark paper that shook up the way a generation of engineers look at the world around them called “Do Artifacts Have Politics?” He argued that, yes, everyday objects can often create political discord by the way in which people interface with them. Winner is Chair of Humanities and Social Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and he joins Worldview to discuss.