Throughout history, humans have used technology to convert natural resources into simple tools. The wheel, for example, has made it possible for people to traverse their environment. The invention of the printing press, telephone, and computer has reduced physical barriers to communication.
Technological innovations are shaping our daily lives. Most software, for example, aims to make tasks more efficient. Technology has also enabled humans to leave the planet’s atmosphere and land on the moon. Technology has also played a role in wars. It has also been used to facilitate political oppression.
A number of philosophical debates have sprung up over the present use of technology in society. One such debate, the anarcho-primitivism, criticizes the pervasiveness of technology in the modern world.
Another, the Neo-Luddism, argues that the pervasiveness of technology in contemporary society has led to a decrease in individual freedom.
Whether technology actually improves our lives remains a topic of philosophical debate. Techno-progressivism, on the other hand, argues that continued technological advances are beneficial to the human condition.
Technology can be described as anything that human beings have made. It can include computers, phones, and even raw materials. Technology has also been used to shape culture.
In a 2006 article in Technology and Culture magazine, Eric Schatzberg defined two traditions of technology. One based on a single esoteric term and the other based on a more ambiguous term.
Schatzberg’s article, which is now a standard work of technology historiography, was an essential read for students and scholars of the subject. Despite the many other books and articles that have appeared since, his article stands as the best guide to the subject.