In this course the social impact of technology or its principal backbone, namely that of automation technologies is investigated. A historical perspective is presented in order to grasp the contemporary intellectual climate followed by a brief exposure to the recent history of automation concepts and technologies. This is further followed by first looking at the economic impact of automation technologies following various scenarios and then discussing politics associated with an automation economy. Finally we shall discuss, using recent theories of justice, the conditions for a just society under the tension of the two maxims of the French Revolution: liberty and equality.