Science, Technology, and Society

From its origins, the human species has been characterized by its ability to develop tools and artifacts of various kinds. This article provides an introduction to the question about the logic of technological development in Western history. The central question that the article addresses is: "are techniques developed through the revolutionary or evolutionary path?" Does it progress through sudden or abrupt jumps, or through slow incremental changes? The article is divided into three parts. In the first, we summarize the interpretations of the revolutionary and evolutionary history of technology. Next, we reconstruct the typology proposed by Serres to characterize technological development through a model that overcomes the dichotomy revolution / evolution. Finally, we show how these approaches to the history of technology influence the formulation of theories of technological change.

The advancement in science has been nothing short of a human revolution that has impacted the every sphere of life. People all over the world use and benefit from modern technology. Today, almost everything we see around us is the gift of science and technology, be it smart

One fact is clear: society lives, more than ever, under the auspices under the auspices and domains of science and technology. Advertising that makes about science and technology is so intense that a significant portion of people believe that they only bring only benefits to society. For man, the technology makes life easier, cleaner and longer. Man cultivates a growing dependency in relation to science and technology in contemporary era. It is a usual behavior of much of society considers science and technology as liberators of humanity of labor burdens and threats posed by the forces of nature. Adding to all this, there is a widespread view that scientific and technological progress brings not only the advancement of knowledge, but also as a real improvement, inexorable and effective in all aspects of human life. Science is not only seen as liberating, but also as dehumanizing and enslaving of human life. Uncontrolled growth of technology has contributed to destroy the vital sources of our humanity to create a culture without a moral basis. The technology has shaped our lives because we are at the mercy of interconnected systems, which is serious because we are submissive to his authority, shaping us in its functioning. The omnipresence of technology in today's world, coupled with its increased complexity, gives rise to a very problematic situation.

This article aims to demonstrate that technological advancement was mainly responsible for the occurrence of the 9 major economic revolutions that changed the world in the history of humanity, described below in chronological order: 1) 1st Agricultural Revolution (6000 BC); 2) 2nd Agricultural Revolution (between the 12th and 15th centuries in the Low Middle Ages); 3) The Commercial Revolution (between the 12th and 18th centuries); 4) 3rd Agricultural Revolution (in the 17th and 18th centuries in England); 5) 1st Industrial Revolution (1780-1830); 6) 2nd Industrial Revolution (1860-1900); 7) 4th Agricultural Revolution (between the 1960s and 1970s of the 20th century); 8) 3rd Industrial Revolution (1970s); and, 9) 4th Industrial Revolution or Informational or Post-Industrial Revolution today.

This article aims to demonstrate that technological advances were the main responsible for the occurrence of the 9 great economic revolutions that changed the world that occurred in the history of humanity described below in chronological order: 1) 1st Agricultural Revolution (6000 BC); 2) 2nd Agricultural Revolution (between the 12th and 15th centuries in the Lower Middle Ages); 3) The Commercial Revolution (between the 12th and 18th centuries); 4) 3rd Agricultural Revolution (in the 17th and 18th centuries in England); 5) 1st Industrial Revolution (1780-1830); 6) 2nd Industrial Revolution (1860-1900); 7) 4th Agricultural Revolution (between the 1960s and 1970s of the 20th century); 8) 3rd Industrial Revolution (1970s); and, 9) 4th Industrial Revolution or Informational or Post-Industrial Revolution at the present time.

Our histories of technology remain largely focus on the West, on wealthy (or relatively wealthy) men in wealthy nations, and on sophisticated and large technologies/technological systems. Yet poverty is a salient feature of the world today, and the poor inhabit our technological worlds too. A cursory review of the literature on poverty suggests that historians of technology have much to contribute both empirically and conceptually. In this paper I reiterate the suggestion that increasing our discipline’s focus on use, rather than invention or innovation, would help to achieve greater socio-economic diversity in our discipline. Producing more histories of use would mean that we would, in most cases, shift away from elites and towards more common folk, shift towards women and ethnic minorities, and shift away from the rich to the poor. It would also mean a spatial shift from richer to poorer regions of the world, both within countries and between countries. Thinking about socio-economic diversity and the utility of studies of technological use is, I argue, of particular importance to SHOT at this juncture as the Society reflects upon greater outreach towards Asia.

A Companion to the Philosophy of Technology

When people think about technology from a contemporary perspective, they often think about all the gadgets and devices that are commonplace in our lives. For example, only ten years ago we were watching movies on VCRs and were talking on cell phones that would be unrecognizable compared to today's standards. Is this the essence of technology, or is there more to it? Technology has been something that has undoubtedly marked our world and our lives for a very long time, and especially since the industrial revolution occurred in the late 18 th and early 19 th centuries. Major changes occurred in the way the world produced its goods, and the level at which goods were produced. Science and technology began changing the world. How then are we to view technology today? It is clearly a phenomenon that as been influencing the world for any centuries. Is it any different today than it was one or two hundred years ago? These are questions that are important in the study of the history of technology, and even culture. There are many theorists who have written on this topic, including Thomas J. Misa who wrote Leonardo: Technology & Culture from the Renaissance to the Present to the Internet. In this essay we will comment on Misa's analysis of how technology has influenced culture since the Renaissance, with specific reference to the industrialization. We will then compare Misa's theories of technology and culture and compare them with that of two other authors who have their own views on the history of technology and how it has affected culture. From this it will be clear that when analysing technology and culture, we need to evaluate not the level of innovation, but rather how the technology is really

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‘History’ been redefined as the record of socio-economic ‘progress' for several reasons: the rise of the capitalist system, especially the Adam Smithian ‘invisible hand’ of the market that drives competition and innovation, and the appreciation for science because from research and development comes the devices and products consumers constantly crave.