Ursula Franklin

Ursula Martius Franklin: A Life Dedicated to Peace, Justice, and Technology

Who was Ursula Martius Franklin? She was a Canadian metallurgist, activist, research physicist, author, and educator who taught at the University of Toronto for over 40 years. Her life’s work was dedicated to understanding technology’s impact on society and advocating for peace, social justice, and human rights.

The Early Years

Ursula Martius Franklin (1921-2016) was born in Munich, Germany. Her parents tried to send her to school in Britain but were refused a student visa due to Nazi persecution. This early experience instilled in her a deep sense of injustice and the importance of standing up for what is right.

Academic Journey

In 1948, Franklin received her PhD in experimental physics at Technische Universität Berlin. She moved to Canada after being offered the Lady Davis postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto in 1949. Here, she began a long and illustrious academic career that would span over four decades.

Research Contributions

Franklin was a pioneer in archaeometry, working on dating prehistoric bronze, copper, and ceramic artifacts. Her research also focused on black Chinese mirrors, glass, and strontium-90 levels in children’s teeth. She published over 100 scientific papers and contributed to books on technology and its social effects.

Activism and Advocacy

Franklin was a practising Quaker who worked on behalf of pacifist and feminist causes, advocating for peace, social justice, and human rights. She received numerous honours and awards, including the Governor General’s Award and the Pearson Medal of Peace.

Technology: More Than Machines

Franklin believed that technology was more than just machines and gadgets; it was a comprehensive system that included methods, procedures, organization, and a mindset. She distinguished between holistic technologies used by craft workers and prescriptive ones associated with large-scale production.

Prescriptive Technologies

Franklin argued that prescriptive technologies discourage critical thinking and promote ‘a culture of compliance.’ These technologies break work down into discrete, standardized steps, often prioritizing efficiency over people’s needs. She saw this as a form of techno-fascism, where the market dictates how society operates.

Workplace Dynamics

Franklin suggested that workplaces could be less prescriptive if they adopted holistic practices based on traditional ways of women working in households and caring for children. She believed that this approach would lead to more humane and effective work environments.

The Quaker Vision for Peace

For Franklin, the struggle for women’s rights and the opposition to militarism were two sides of the same coin. The Quaker vision for peace emphasized individual conscience over dogmatic rules. She believed that peace was not just the absence of war but also the absence of fear.

The Nature of War

Franklin argued that consumer-oriented societies lead to war and violence due to an acquisitive lifestyle rejecting caring and social justice. She saw globalization as a new form of warfare, where those who value community values are seen as enemies.

A Call for Resistance

Franklin called on citizens to engage in scrupling, the process of sitting down together to discuss and clarify common moral and political concerns. She advocated for resistance through refusing to speak the language of the occupiers, using court challenges, and engaging in citizen politics focused on practical solutions.

Reflections on Violence

Franklin insisted that war and its violence are not only morally wrong but also ineffective, impractical, and costly. She believed that nothing has been resolved by violence over the past fifty years and that force does not work.

The Impact of Technology

Franklin’s work explored the intersection of feminism, technology, teaching, and pacifism. She wrote about the importance of challenging patriarchal biases in science and emphasized the role of women in shaping technological advancements.

Technology as a Mindset

In her view, technology is not a set of neutral tools or methods but involves organization, procedures, symbols, new words, equations, and most importantly, a mindset. Technology has built the house in which we all live today.

Legacy and Honors

Franklin received numerous awards and honours, including the University Professor (1984), Officer of the Order of Canada (1981), Companion of the Order of Canada (1992), Member of the Order of Ontario (1990), Wiegand Award (1989), Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Person’s Case (1991), Sir John William Dawson Medal (1991), Pearson Medal of Peace (2001), and Adrienne Clarkson Laureateship (2004).

Final Thoughts

Franklin’s legacy continues to inspire those who seek a more just, peaceful world. Her work reminds us that technology is not inherently good or bad but how we use it that matters.