The History of Technology
The history of technology, refers to the inventions of mankind throughout history. This category of history encompasses[1] everything from the simplest stone tools to the most complex genetic engineering or information technology. Here are some important topics to remember when studying the history of technology. All inventions have a human story behind them, and the history of technology is a fascinating part of world history. Read on for some fascinating facts about the history of technology. And, don’t worry; you’re not alone – there are many other fascinating aspects to learn.[2]
Historical context
While the historical context of technology is increasingly popular, the term “technological development” is often used without much thought. It is easy to dismiss technological[3] innovations as unimportant because they are not the result of disembodied forces. Indeed, technology is the result of many decisions and social institutions, and they often go hand in hand. As such, understanding the historical context of technology can be vital for understanding technological developments. This article will outline the different aspects of technological development and highlight the social context of their creation.
The term “technology” comes from the Greek word techne, which means “art.” The term was first used to refer to the applied[4] arts, but is now used to describe advancements. Technology’s history spans the earliest forms of life on earth to its establishment in the early modern world. Perhaps the most important technology in history is the wheel, which came about almost as far back as the Stone Age. Hence, it is essential to understand the historical context of technological developments to appreciate their impact and influence on the world.
In the 18th century, the main era of technological development began. Machines and other tools were invented, and various[5] forms of development and production took off. Many of these developments were British in origin. By the middle of the eighteenth century, Britain had become the leading commercial nation in the world, with colonies in North America and Africa. Even the East India Company had some influence on the Indian subcontinent. In the early modern world, technology developed as a result of trade and increased trade.
Despite the history of technology, there are numerous sources of historical evidence to consider. Early civilizations often had no written records, and so archaeological evidence must be relied upon to reconstruct[6] their lives. However, the study of technology can be important to gain a deeper understanding of the rapid industrialization of our world. For example, it can help us understand the origins of modern medicine. It also allows us to understand why some technologies developed faster than others and which ones were later abandoned.
Methodological pattern
The term’social construction of technology’ (SCOT) encompasses work in both social science and the history of technology. It refers to the program set forth by Pinch and Bijker in 1984. The term’social construction’ has broad and narrow meanings, and the definition[7] of social construction’ varies from one tradition to another. Here are some examples. The first SCOT volume discusses the social construction of technology, which is a broad term.
This methodological pattern originated in the 1970s, when US scholars were interested in technological change. They introduced various theoretical frameworks and methods for studying technology, including[8] social constructivism and actor networks. More recently, the field has developed a systems approach, with the goal of understanding how technology and society interacted to shape the human experience. This pattern is described by researchers in the history of technology as a whole. It is also the name of one of the largest fields of history – the study of technology.
Another pattern emerged from the history of technology, as a response to the criticisms of the SCOT approach. Unlike the SCOT approach, the constructivists tended to investigate the social[9] nature of technological determinism. The semiotic version of Michel Foucault’s’micropolitics of power’ revealed that artifacts and social groups were mutually constructed. In a similar fashion, Ronald Kline and Trevor Pinch applied theories of gender to their original SCOT approach, showing that automobiles and gender relations were mutually constructed.
A proper understanding of methodology is crucial in obtaining a reliable theory. Even if the same factual material may be analyzed in a similar manner, different conclusions may result from different methodologies. By learning the various methods of research, researchers can[10] better understand how their peers arrived at their knowledge. This will ultimately help them build a more interdisciplinary approach to solving global challenges. So, understanding the history of technology through the lens of its methodological pattern is an essential component of any successful research project.
Case studies
Researchers have several tools to test their research questions, including case-study analysis. Typically, they will visit[11] a particular site several times, collect data through interviews and observations, and record their results mechanically. Then, they synthesize the results and write an analysis and conclusion. An example is Evanciew and Rojewski’s study of skill-and-knowledge acquisition. In this study, the researchers collected data using first-person language.
The original SCOT approach overlooked the social aspect of technological determinism, and constructivists responded[12] by studying the social aspects of technological determinism. Taking the micropolitics of power of Michel Foucault, Bijker (1995) employed a semiotic version to show how artifacts and social groups interrelate. Another example is the use of gender theories by Ronald Kline and Trevor Pinch in their 1996 study, which showed that men and women used the same techniques to construct and modify cars.
In the US, a growing number of scholars began raising theoretical questions about technology. Some of the most influential[13] scholars include Cowan, Hughes, and Constant. Case-study research methods are appropriate for exploratory research, because the research questions are not yet fully defined. In this setting, case-study research models are particularly useful for answering unanswered questions. While case-study methods may be useful in some cases, they are not universally appropriate for this type of research.
In the mid-1980s, the social construction of technology emerged, claiming that technology design was the outcome of negotiations between various social groups. Many historians and sociologists of technology[14] have authored case studies to prove this claim. The social construction of technology, by contrast, emphasizes the mutual shaping of society and technology. Further, it is essential to consider social conditions in the construction of technology in order to understand the history of technology.
Influence on later developments
In the study of the development of modern technology, there is a cumulative element. The acquisition of techniques is a process of accumulation, with each generation inheriting a stock and then building on it. Throughout history, innovations are highlighted and some societies advance from rudimentary techniques to more sophisticated[15] ones. The history of technology reveals these advances and also highlights important moments in the evolution of technology. Some advances are rapid and others are slow.
In recent years, technology historians have turned to new methods and perspectives to explore the past. Instead of considering the development of technology as a disembodied force, they view it as an expression of society’s values. This approach makes machines appear to be the embodiment of human nature, but it overlooks the costs of colonialism[16] and violence. The triumphalist narratives of the history of technology often obscure the costs of capitalism and make technologies appear to be inherently flawed.
While apes may use sticks to beat bananas from trees, humans can fashion them into tools by modifying them. As the first humans, hominids, were toolmakers from the beginning. This history of technology encompasses humankind’s evolution from the very beginning. We’ve developed tools[17] that have aided our lives and shaped the course of our species. While we’ve been technologists since our first ancestors, we have only recently been able to harness their capabilities to benefit others.
Limitations of deterministic views of technologies
Deterministic views of the history of technology are not very helpful for understanding the social construction of technology. The invention of writing, for example, should have pushed more advanced societies down a path of progress. However, societies with widespread literacy and high levels of productivity tended to benefit more than less[18] literate societies. As a result, Western European societies benefited more from the invention of writing than African nations. In a recent paper, R.W. Niezen pointed out that the rise of technology does not determine the evolution of society, but rather the development of the technological system.
While technological determinism has a strong following among historians of technology, there is no consensus on which of these perspectives is the right one. Some of the most influential scholars[19] in the field have rejected technological determinism in their writings. However, some historians continue to write whiggish histories that promote the ideology that technological innovation leads to progress. Although this approach is widely criticized, it has a number of merits, particularly when applied to the history of technology.
The first limitation of technological determinism is that the term ‘technology’ can have very narrow meaning. A more expansive definition of technology would include both the production processes[20] and the society, and would not allow for technological determinism to be possible. In other words, technology does not ‘determine’, but it ‘incline’ toward possibilities. So, there are two kinds of deterministic theories: the soft one and the hard one.
The second limitation of deterministic views of the history of technologies is their tendency to overlook the social context of technological change. While higher levels of abstraction seem to be unproblematic, autonomous, and deterministic, the lower levels are characterized by heterogeneity[21] and diversity. In contrast, the latter is more flexible and mutable and more likely to reflect social structures and political circumstances. It is important to recognize that both types of deterministic views of the history of technology imply that society is not homogeneous and that technological change is not inevitable.
