Nature of Technology?

Hello everyone, I'm obviously new to the forums here but I'm looking for some ideas/advice. Hopefully some of you can provide me with some insight. Philosophy of Technology: It's Nature and Significance - This is my first Philosophy course regarding technology specifically. Most recently we've been learning about Martin Heidegger, although he's extremely hard to grasp... I may very well avoid him on these papers. Ignore that last statement, thinking at loud at the moment. Anyways...

For this course, were encouraged to write four papers. You can earn up to 50 points per paper. Here's an abbreviated version of his grading scale, 1150-1900 words (maximum of 16 possible points), 2600-4000 (maximum of 33 possible points), etc. The class has no tests, no exams, no quizzes, no requirements. The students basically teach this course through facilitations and in turn we must design our own assignments/papers. My professor simply guides us through the material, his study focus was on Social Networking/Communication & Technology - exactly why I'd like to avoid topics regarding Social Networking all together. (To get an A in the class you must have 220+ points by the end of the semester) For these papers we are suppose to create our own topics or use a topic suggested by one of my peers (blog site specifically created for the class), they must relate to the class, and/or Philosophy of Technology. After 50+ posts in that blog site, I still have yet to find anything I'd like to write about - but that doesn't mean I don't have some ideas.

My goal of this post is to receive some topic/paper ideas. You can post a specific paper idea, general ideas (which I can in turn build off of), or possibly current events worth writing about. Just really struggling to find something that interests me. My one and only requirement is that if you decide to post an idea, topic, etc. Just be certain it relates to Philosophy of Technology, and try to avoid social networking of all kinds (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) I have 18 days to write two of these four papers, both papers will be at least 15 pages.

Currently considering writing about...
1. Jean-François Lyotard's The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge
2. Bruno Latour's work on the interplay between men and technology. Exploring how scientific facts are constructed phenomena, Latour did research in the laboratories of the scientists themselves.
3. Also considering - Juxtaposing Enlightenment views of technology and the romantic reaction(s) that these, perhaps overly optimistic views, spawned.
4. Bioethics where it intersects with the controversial issue of Euthanasia
5. Whether the state should take an active part in incentives and investment to push their own country in technological sophistication or whether the economy as a free market should be allowed to develop in its own phase. – Thanks to The Voice of Time, since he supplied this topic.

These are just ideas right now, I will begin further readings tonight. But any feedback on the one-five topics above would be very helpful. But also remember to share with me what interests you as well as completely new ideas (in regards to Philosophy of Technology)

Finally, this post ends. Never stop seeking the truth... Peace to all. Feel free to PM or simply respond here, thanks in advance everyone.

Anyone with some input?

Wisdomseeker, I am not versed in modern epistemology, nor am I well read in Jean-François Lyotard or Bruno Latour. However, I find that both of these modern French philosophers discount rational consensus to the extreme. Particularly Latour, who is the classic case of the non-scientist who questions science.

Science is not philosophy. It is a method. If any hypothesis is unsubstantiated by peers it is discarded. It is empirically based. If you propose a predicted outcome of your hypothesis, then I should be able to test it regardless of conditions. (Here, I must say I am a proponent of science for a particular reason: it works. And it works every time regardless of who I am or where I am at.)

Nature and technology are not two different things. Nature is the embodiment of all that surrounds me in my environment. Anything I am, or any tool I make comes from nature. There is nothing outside nature. It is what is. For example, if I synthesize a chemical, from where did I get the material to do that? Nature.

No matter where I go, nature always seems to get there first.

That said, check out Manfred Frank. If I had to write the paper for credits, I would utilize the epistemology of Kant in a comparison. It would not mean anything, but it would get me grade points.