That takes me back. Read it many many years ago as a teenager. I think you’re right about sf being more tech based then. Still can’t beat Asimov’s robot trilogy for a close (if dated) look at human/tech interactions and the moral dimensions thereof.
Edit: also Alexei Panshin’s Rite of Passage - which can horrify but does a rip snorting good job of examining the morality of a closed society. Re-read this recently and it stands the test of time.