CONCEPT
Myth of the Neutral Tool
The false belief that technologies are passive instruments whose effects depend entirely on users' choices—a myth concealing that design decisions embed institutional values before users encounter the tool.
The myth of the neutral tool treats technology as a finished object presented to users who freely choose among its possible applications. A hammer can build or destroy; the technology is innocent, only its use carries moral weight. Smith's institutional framework exposes this myth as ideological cover for design choices that have already constrained use before the tool reaches users. The precision manufacturing tools at Springfield were not neutral instruments craftsmen could employ to enhance existing practice—they were designed to replace craft practice with standardized procedure, eliminating the autonomy and holistic knowledge on which craft depended. The design was the decision. By the time the tool reached the workshop floor, the consequential choice had already been made by institutions serving interests the craftsmen did not share.
In The You On AI Field Guide
The myth serves specific institutional interests by directing attention away from design processes and toward moments of use. If tools are neutral, then negative consequences of their