What is it about?
Maintaining that technology shapes the organization of activity exposes us to the qualification of technological determinism. This position, quite widespread in social sciences concerned with economic organizations, favors a strong notion of managerial autonomy. It is common to consider that the social consequences of technology depend more on its social significance than on its material properties.
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Why is it important?
We propose to place technical mediations in the elaboration of socio-technical systems at the heart of the analysis.
Perspectives
Our study of the development of computer-aided design over the period 1950-2024 tends to demonstrate the persistence of a structuring technical trend. The analysis is based on the concept of technical tendency developed by Leroi-Gourhan. The empirical study concerns the functional logic of design in major industries and at leading simulation software publishers.
Professor Claude Joseph Paraponaris
Université Aix Marseille - LEST CNRS
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This page is a summary of: De la tendance technique dans l’aide à la conception industrielle, Artefact, January 2026, OpenEdition,
DOI: 10.4000/16gqa.
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