UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR PROCEEDINGS of the 29th Annual Research Conference

Abstract

Abstract We are in the age of technology where every human society is forced to think through the fabrics of modern science and technology. But, is science objective and value free? Is technology in Ethiopia a logical transformation from the “pre-techne” to modern world and an internal evolution within cultures, accepted by all culture groups as an inevitable process? Can modern technology alone sufficiently solve social and political problems in Ethiopia? How could “foreign technologies” go in line with IKSs in Ethiopia? These are some of the central questions that are addressed in this article. The article is a philosophical reflection on the contradictions of harmonizing modern technology with the different culture traits in Ethiopian context. Qualitative research method is employed from the critical social theory perspective. It tries to unhide the undemocratic sides of technology that shackle the development of IKSs which in turn jeopardize genuine human development in Ethiopia. It is argued that the technology of the west appears to be value laden in suppressing the epistemologies of the south; and such value laden-ness of technology results in suppressing human freedom and genuine human development. The objective of the study is to call for the culture conscious adoption of technology and democratization of technology towards Ethiopian IKSs. The mass transfer of technology through education, policy implementation, and mass media appear to be an imposition and oppression to the long held IKSsof the indigenous people in Ethiopia, who hardly understand the language of technology. This in turn creates communication gaps between the generations (educated and illiterate) in such a way that highly affects the social fabric of the people. As a recommendation, technology transfer must be backed up by the culture sensitive mentality of the educated as a representation from the people; for true wisdom is actualized by the genuine hermeneutic enterprises between the modern science and IKSs.