THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY 1230 YORK AVENUE NEW YORK, NY 10021 April 21, 1981 JOSHUA LEDERBERG PRESIDENT JL M. Jean Castarede Directeur du Cabinet du Ministre 9, Rue Georges Pitard 75015 Paris ~- Argimr—~ France ¥/7 ¢ Dear M. Castarede: ~ I am happy to have the opportunity to send you some- thing that I wrote sometime ago on the problems of tech- nological progress. The part of the article to which I direct your attention is the Table at Page 611 where I attempted to make a systematic classification of the grievances that have been expressed about technological impact. I am not so much proud of this effort, which would bear a great deal of critical revision, as I would wish for an equally systematic discussion to have become part of the analysis of this problem in the years since 1972. If such an effort exists, it has not come to my attention. You may recall my reference to the book by Raymond Aron, which appeared in English as "Progress and Disil- lusion - The Dialectics of Modern Society" (1968). I be-~ lieve this remains an outstanding work in the field and I recommend it to your attention. Perhaps the most radical commentary that remains still almost intelligible on these issues comes from J. R. Ravetz, "Scientific Knowledge and its Social Problems". As you may imagine there has been a considerable litera- ture on the side effects of the introduction of high tech- nology into health care. Work like that of Illich can per- haps be dismissed as special pleading for a prior political position; but I believe it still remains important to under- stand the grievances that can motivate such extreme reactions. M. Jean Castarede April 21, 1981 ’ ~2- I trust you understand that my bringing up this sector of radical criticism is hardly my own identification with it! Finally, I hope you will have seen the work by Marianne Frankenhauser of the University of Stockholm for the Swedish government a few years ago. Yours sincerely, s io shua Lederberg Ck hts LY, Keun te, Vel. KT, Mo.02, (778 - “ Pretdrrne vt CHL Y ees Lhd.