“Technology And Civilization”

Technology and Civilization

1. Out of the cage

What grants the possibility for humans to stand outside of the cage? Or in other words, what

makes humans different from the rest of animals? Some people would say, "The biggest

difference between humans and animals is that humans are driven by reason and logic. They can
engage in intellectual activities."[1] or "The essential difference between animals and humans is

the ability to self-reflect."[2] All of these features point to one conclusion. It is the ability of

abstract thinking or imagination to formulate today's human society.

With the power of imagination, humans created all kinds of gods and religions, produced

philosophy, and invented laws and currency. No animal can imagine the number in a human

bank account that can exchange food, the words engraved on clay tablets, the Ur-Nammu Law

code, can regulate human activity[3], or the conflicts between imaginary religions induced wars

related to millions of people's lives. However, as a part of living beings in this world, humans'

physical body constrains their unlimited imagination.

To achieve what they want beyond their bodies, humans developed technology. The maximum

weight for an ordinary man to carry is about 20 kilogram. A horse can take 70 to 100-kilogram

stuff. At the time humans succeeded in domesticating horses, our ability to carry things improved

4 to 5 times. One horsepower is the power for a horse to move at 1 inch per minute with 33,000

pounds. After Watt improved the steam engine, a steam engine boiler can continually provide 70

horsepower, which means 70 horses pull simultaneously.

Humans develop technology. In return, technology also shaped human civilization.

.
Caesar and Napoleon were two great generals. It is hard to tell who had a better ability from a

personal perspective. The thing we knew was that they lived in highly different periods. In the

Napoleon age, people could build tons of Caesar's luxuries with steam engines. They could

create mass death after the invention of guns and cannons. However, it doesn't mean Napoleon's

ability was improved compared with Caser's, but Napoleon had to follow the rules at that period.

The war game and social structure were changed by technology. Napoleon could not do anything

but fit into it. Man's power is pointless facing the development of technology and society.

As a result, in the interaction between technology and civilization, our past becomes history, and

our future becomes unpredictable.

 2. Intellectual People and Businessman

Around 570 years ago, the printing machine was invented in Europe. This printing technology

paved the way for the later Renaissance, which induced a significant change in European society.

However, this technology itself was not the trigger for the Renaissance. As mentioned, it was the

interaction between technology and civilization that created history.

Great Inventor, Failed Businessman

If it were not for the printing machine, a small figure like Johannes Gutenberg would not be

recorded by historians. In 1439, Gutenberg found a couple of partners to start the business of

polishing mirrors. At that age, people believed that mirrors could capture the remains' holy-light,

and Aachen was preparing to host an exhibition of holy articles. It seemed to be an excellent

opportunity for Gutenberg, who liked everyone, had a dream of becoming rich. However, his bad

luck stopped his way to flourish. A flood went through Aachen, and a plague attacked Aachen

after. The government had to delay the exhibition. As a result, Gutenburg's partners asked him

for compensation, and Gutenburg promised them a secret technology return. Of course, for now,

it is not a secret anymore.

In 1448, Gutenberg moved back to Mainz and borrowed 800 guilders from a local financier to

build his dreamed printing empire.[4]

.
The Gutenberg Bible was the most famous work out of his print factory, and it was also the most

famous Bible in the world. The typography for this version of the Bible was exquisite and

beautifully printed.[5] In 1445, Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who became the later Pope Pius II, wrote

a letter to the cardinal Juan de Carvajal after reading the Gutenberg Bible. He mentioned the

Gutenberg Bible had such neat lettering that the cardinal could read the Bible without his glasses.

[6]
However, probably due to the massive expense for printing the Gutenberg Bible and also the

limited market for such a delicate version of the Bible, by 1456, Gutenberg's debts had already

reached 2000 guilders, and he could not still pay the local financier. According to the court

records, that financier eventually took Gutenberg's printing business, including that mysterious

Gutenberg Bible.[7]

Until his 65 years, Archbishop von Nassau acknowledged Gutenberg's work and gave him the

title Hofman. At the time Gutenberg invented printing technology, the concept of intellectual

property did not exist yet. Most of the inventors at that age faced the same fate. The best

inventors but failed businessmen. They could not gain any wealth out of their inventions, and

their inventions could not help them with their life.

 The Deal between Printing and Indulgences

.
Indulgences were pieces of papers awarded by the Catholic Church as a remission of sin. People

who purchased the indulgences could take them as proof of having the right to the forgiveness of

sins. The indulgences business existed a long time ago. In the 15th century, this business began

to flourish because of the Crusades needed for the battle towards Ottoman Empire, who marched

to the Orthodox church's base, Constantinople.[8] In 1476, Pope Sixtus IV declared that one could

indeed gain an indulgence for someone in purgatory. In northern Germany, a Dominican friar,

Johann Tetzel, even said, "When a penny in the coffer rings, / A soul from Purgatory springs."

For Gutenberg's printing technology, indulgences were the perfect products because of the large

quantity demanded by the church and the large proportion of indulgences made by words instead

of images. However, Gutenberg himself missed that opportunity, and other factories caught it. In

those factories, indulgences were the ideal products. They gathered with the church and formed a

large interest group.

Wealthy people could use their money to get reborn and innocent like an infant. That money

went to the pockets of churches and war. The indulgences used to erase sin enlarged the crime

and evil. Ordinary people suffered too much. In return, new churches were built, and the war

started. The money supporting our printing technology to survive today was made based on the
suffering of those grass root people. Human history is not just plain words and sentences. It is

made of blood and bodies, and technology is just a pitiless tool in this long history river.

3. European Fortune Cookie

Needham's question is, Why had China and India been overtaken by the West in science and

technology, despite their earlier successes? [9] Apparently, "the West in science and technology" is

pointing at the Industrial Revolution in Europe. However, this question seems general and vague.

There were lots of countries that had a glorious history producing significant figures, but Europe

stood out. Therefore, the appropriate question should be, "Why is Europe so special compared

with other places to have the Industrial Revolution?" To answer this question, let us take a

journey to the European Industrial revolution and see what happened there.
 Demand and Supply

In 1733, the flying shuttle was invented by John Kay. It is a small part inside the loom, which is

a device used to weave cloth. This diminutive component also marked the beginning of the

Industrial Revolution.

.
The flying shuttle is just an upgrade to the traditional shuttle, but the efficiency was highly

improved, and the improved efficiency boosted the textile industry's demand for yarn. The

spinning industry had to enlarge its production, which resulted in the famous invention, Spinning

jenny. Until the invention of Spinning jenny, the Industrial Revolution in the textile industry had

finished. The rest of the problems is power, which would be solved by the later invention, the

steam engine.

We might wonder why all the early inventions during the Industrial Revolution were in the field

of textile. For European, cotton is the product of great geographical discovery. Cotton was

brought by Portugal from India and by Columbus from America at the same time. Cheap and

comfortable cotton began to take over wool and flax's dominant place. The British wool

industries association was afraid of this newcomer. They united the British government in

publishing the Calico Acts, which banned the import of cotton textiles into England. [10] However,

this act did not protect wool, and English people began to grow domestic cotton. Therefore, the

cotton textiles industry was mass-oriented from the beginning, unlike Newton's science

revolution from the higher level to the ground. In the middle ages, people in the upper class were

working on starting businesses and making money. The grass root people were focusing on
practicing sophisticated skills to raise their family. As a result, it was the massive demand in the

market, highly educated workers, and a bunch of innovation-friendly policies that made the

industrial revolution possible.

The Victory for Steam Engine

.
In 1712, under the instruction of Denis Papin, Thomas Newcomen invented the world's first fuel-

burning engine. Although it was a great invention at that time, this engine was fixed on the

ground, extremely inefficient, regular maintenance needed, and cost tons of fuel. As a result,
there is only one perfect place for this first version of the engine. The coal plants. This engine did

an ideal job of drawing water from underground. The underground minefield regularly came

with a confidential water source, and flooding was a terrible accident in a coal mine. In a coal

mine, the high-cost fuel would certainly not be a problem. Those coal mines saved Newcomen's

invention, and engineers never stopped their steps on upgrading Newcomen's work.

.
During 1763 and 1764, James Watt was repairing an engine at the University of Glasgow. He

realized Newcomen's design had a significant problem of wasting energy, and he began to

improve Newcomen's engine. At last, he presented us with the separate condenser, which

lowered fuel cost by 50% compared with the latest version of the engine and 80% compared with
the original Newcomen's engine. It was a massive step for humankind. Watt's improvement made

it possible to apply the steam engine to many more places. From now on, the wheel of history

began to spin, and the gate for the steam engine's age had opened for humans. Its unparalleled

speed has permeated every aspect of human civilization.

The European Industrial Revolution was built on too many features. It seems lucky for Europe to

have all these opportunities at once, but we surely should not forget European hard work. It is

impossible for the current government to repeat European success again by focusing on which

part of the industries or policies should be valued the most.

4. Future and Beyond

.
Technologies are invented and improved by people. Humans' life also is hugely influenced by

technology. The beauty in this interaction is the balance between technology and civilization.

Governments must urgently want to know the secret inside technology development. From all

those technologies, we can clearly see the importance of the courage of innovation. Technology

will develop in a place with an innovation-friendly environment. [11] At the time we solve the

current problem, let us focus on our future.

The educators in our generation are always confused by the appropriate attitude towards

technology. As mentioned, technology cannot be separated from people, and human civilization

cannot develop without the help of technology. Education is a much more significant concept

than teaching and learning. Education should be the existing generation welcoming the

newcomers to this already existing world. Technology is an important part of this world, but still

only a part of this world. Educators have to figure out the form for newcomers to fit into this

digital world, but also not forget to write with pen and paper.[12]

Human imagination empowered them with the ability to achieve almost everything. Remember,

humans are the only species without wings but can roam through the sky, even escape from the

constraint of gravity, and fly into space. Technology is indeed our great tool to explore what is
out there beyond our physical bodies. It is also vital for us to remember as a living being on this

planet, humans are the big brother for others, and life should always be the center of technology.

This interaction between technology and civilization made this planet flourish and possible.

ABET LEARNING OUTCOMES

Our graduates are expected to have

1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying

principles of engineering, science, and mathematics

2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with

consideration of public health, safety, and

Welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors

4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in

Engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must

Consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal

contexts

5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide

leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plantasks,

and meet objectives

GE S LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• S-LO1: Describe how identities (i.e. religious, gender, ethnic, racial, class, sexual orientation,

disability, and/or age) are shaped by

Cultural and societal influences within contexts of equality and inequality;

• S-LO2: Describe historical, social, political, and economic processes producing diversity,

equality, and structured inequalities in the

U.S.;

• S-LO3: Describe social actions which have led to greater equality and social justice in the U.S.

(i.e. religious, gender, ethnic, racial, class, sexual orientation, disability, and/or age).; and
• S-LO4: Recognize and appreciate constructive interactions between people from different

cultural, racial, and ethnic groups within the U.S.

GE V LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• V-LO1: compare systematically the ideas, values, images, cultural artifacts, economic

structures, technological developments, and/or attitudes of people from more than one culture

outside the U.S.

• V-LO2: identify the historical context of ideas and cultural

Traditions outside the U.S. and how they have influenced American culture

• V-LO3: explain how aculture outside the U.S. has changed in response to internal and external

pressures.

• We will not coverall these outcomes in ME 195a,b, but we want you to think about local and

global social, economic, and cultural effects that have led to a need for your project and

potential effects of your projects on society.

• Let’s look at some examples from history.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rqZZgVxnCk

AIR CONDITIONING
• Effect on population movement

• 1950 Sun Belt had 28% of population

• By 2000 that had risen to 40%

• Effect on politics

• Gore Vidal: “I date the end of the old republic and the birth of the

Empire to the invention, in the late thirties, of air conditioning. Before air conditioning,

Washington was deserted from mid-June to

September…. But after air conditioning and the Second World War

Arrived, more or less at the sametime, Congress sits and sits while the presidents or at least their

staffs never stop making mischief. “

EFFECT ON CULTURE

• AC led to the rise of the Golden Age of Hollywood

• Initially there were few air conditioners in homes, which made air conditioned movie theaters

a huge draw in the summer

• Increased funds for the movie industry

• Previously, the middle and upper class would often retreat from the cities in the summer,

heading to lakeside and

Mountain resorts.

• Air conditioning made the summers more comfortable, leading to the demise of many of these

resorts.
• People now spend more time inside in the summers rather than on porches or in parks.

Studies have shown this has led to a less cohesive community and more crime.

EFFECT ON ARCHITECTURE

• Fewer windows

• More high-rises

• Fewer trees (shady trees not needed to cool off)

• Comfortable large windowless structures possible – office buildings, malls, indoor

entertainment centers

• Manufacturing with special IAQ requirements possible (such as clean rooms)

• Many fruits and veggies available year round (example:

Bananas arestored in rooms with specified temp and humidity ranges)

Southern Dog-Trot house – cook on one side, live on the other
Large porches were the norm outside of high- population city regions

NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON HEALTH

• Inadequate ventilation is linked to asthma and allergies.

• A 2006 Japanese study showed long-term exposure can make it harder to get up and going

before 10 am because air

Conditioners are one of the best sleep aids. They may disrupt cortical rhythms that help us wake

up energized.

• A Danish study found that AC makes us fat.

• We don’t use as many calories to cool off.

• People eat more when they’re cool.

POSITIVE EFFECTS ON HEALTH

• Fewer cases of
• Ischemic stroke

• Ischemic heart disease

• Cardiovascular disease

• Pneumonia

• Dehydration

• Heat stroke

• Diabetes

• Acute renal failure.

EFFECT ON WORK PRODUCTIVITY

OSHA points are based on their published permissible heat exposure threshold limit. As temp

goes up, longer rest periods are mandated. Curve fit is from productivity studies

ENERGY USAGE

• Energy used for AC doubled from 1993-2005

• US uses as much energy for AC as Africa uses for anything!

• Major implications with respect to pollution due to energy generation and energy

independence
COTTON GIN

Invented in 1793 by Eli Whitney to separate cotton fibers from seeds

Animation: http://www.eliwhitney.org/7/museum/eli-whitney/cotton-gin

EFFECT ON US SOCIETY
• One gin could clean 50 lb/day with 2-3 workers.

• Previously it would take one person 10 hrs to clean one pound.

• Made it possible for cotton to a very profitable industry

• New Orleans, Mobile, Charleston, and Galveston became major ports

• Cotton industry was still very labor intensive, so this led to the need for a very large labor pool.

EFFECT ON SLAVERY
• Eli Whitney might have thought that his invention might reduce amount of slavery in the South

where cotton was grown. However … .

• The profitable nature of industry led to the rise of plantations and an increase in slavery.

• 1790: 700,000 slaves

• 1850: 3.5 million slaves

• #slave states rose from 6 to 15

• 1860: 1 in 3 Southerners were slaves

• Eli Whitney inadvertantely helped cause the Civil War.

WASHING MACHINE
• Washing machines reduced the time needed to wash clothes by a factor of 6.

• This led to more married women entering the workforce, which led to more economic

prosperity for those nations.

• This also led to a greater usage of water (people washed clothes more often) and electricity by

homes.

RECENT TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE

CHANGING CURRENT SOCIETY

• Fiber optics
• Graphene – may revolutionize small electronic devices

• Cell phones

• Personal computers

• Nano robots

• Satellite communication

• Solar cells

• Transistors

• Internet

• 3-D printers

GROUP DISCUSSION
• In your next project team meeting:

• Discuss one or more of the following questions:

• What global, social or cultural influences have led to a need for your project?

• What may be the impact of your project on society here in the US? Or what has been the

impact of similar devices?

• You may need to take a bigger picture in order to have enough to discuss. Examples:

• Lockheed Pulsating Heat Pipe

• SAE Formula Car Chassis Design

• Automated Home Brewing System

ASSIGNMENT

In this assignment, address how your project may affect society—locally and/or globally—if

implemented and how human behavior will affect the success of your design.

The following area list of questions to help you start thinking about this analysis. Not all

questions will apply to all projects, and this list is not comprehensive.

• What global, social or cultural influences have led to a need for your project?

• If implemented on a wide scale, how will your project result in greater equality and social

justice?

• How will your design help create an even playing field for underprivileged people?

• What human, social, and cultural barriers may result in difficulties implementing your project?

• How may society’s perception of your project result in difficulties during implementation?

• What may be the environmental impact of your project over its life cycle?
• What may be the effect on public health or society? How will your project affect quality of

life?

You are welcome to discuss the effects of existing inventions similar to your own rather than the

projected effects of your project.

You will not be able to address some questions until ME 195b, when you will have a second

Assignment similar to this one. Minimum length: 600 words – but write enough to be thorough.

GRADING
• Thesis: 10 pts

• Organization: 10 pts

• Grammar/Spelling: 10 pts

• Content: 70 pts

• Liberal arts student assistants will be grading the first three elements. Your paper will be

returned to revise and resubmit if your writing is awful.

• Due date: September 30 (Monday) before midnight; turn in via Canvas

CONTENT GRADING

• Rubric gives examples of what must be included to get different points. For example:

• 70 pts: Student is able to describe influences leading to a need for their project; social, political,

economic and/or

Environmental effects of their project; social and cultural

Barriers to implementation of the project, as applicable.

Student provides supporting details and/or examples for all areas.

• 20 pts: Student is able to describe influences leading to a need for their project but with little

depth; only one effect of their project. Student provides details or examples for one area

But with little depth.

WHAT CAN YOU TALK ABOUT?

• You may need to take a bigger picture in order to have enough to discuss. Examples:

• Lockheed Pulsating Heat Pipe

• SAE Formula Car Chassis Design

• Automated Home Brewing System

• Make sure to explain the connection between your project and your “bigger picture” discussion.
REFERENCES

• “Air Conditioning Impact,” http://airconditioning.umwblogs.org/impact/, retrieved 9/5/14.

• vsi .triA . r1 Area Temperatures in Industrial Facilities,”

• Brown, Eileen, 2013, “11 amazing technologies that have totally changed our world for the

better,” Social Business, retrieved 9/5/14.

• “Cotton Gin,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_gin. Retrieved Sept. 5, 2014 (yes, I know

we always tell you not use to

Wikipedia…)
• Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop webpage, “The Cotton Gin,”

http://www.eliwhitney.org/7/museum/eli-whitney/cotton- gin, retrieved 9/5/14.

• “How Air Conditioning Changed America”, The Old House Web,

http://www.oldhouseweb.com/how-to-advice/how-air- conditioning-changed-america.shtml,

retrieved 9/3/14.

• Gulli, Cathy, “The Big Chill: How Air Conditioning Changed the World,”

http://www.macleans.ca/culture/the-big-chill/, retrieved 9/3/14.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/07/keepin-it-cool-how-the-air-conditioner-

made-modern- america/241892/, retrieved 9/5/14.

• Smith, Neil, 2011, “Cheaper, Efficient Cooling with Whole House Fans,”

http://www.homepower.com/articles/home-

Efficiency/equipment-products/cheaper-efficient-cooling-whole-house-fans, Home Power, Issue

140, retrieved 9/8/14.

• .oimgaoto/g/ttir1nrety for Air Conditioning since 1993”,

• pwt 1.,o“oaed-hpiiohtyC-g-ceu/t”eTeigcgl,d-the-world-20120407-

1wi1k.html, retrieved 9/3/14.

Work Cited

[1] Vedantu. "Difference Between Humans and Animals." VEDANTU, Vedantu, 28 May 2020,

www.vedantu.com/biology/difference-between-humans-and-animals.

[2] Zaeed, Abdullah Ali. "Difference between Man and Animal." LinkedIn, 22 Sept. 2015,

www.linkedin.com/pulse/difference-between-man-animal-abdullah-ali-zaeed-psc-ma-mds-mba.

[3] "The Ur-Nammu Law Code, the Oldest Known Legal Code." The Ur-Nammu Law Code, the

Oldest Known Legal Code : History of Information, www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?

id=1884.

[4] "Johannes Gutenberg." Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 16 June 2020,

www.biography.com/inventor/johannes-gutenberg.
[5] "Gutenberg Bible." The British Library, The British Library, 16 Jan. 2015,

www.bl.uk/collection-items/gutenberg-bible#.

[6] Pettegree, A. (2015). Brand Luther : 1517, printing, and the making of the Reformation. New

York, NY: Penguin Press.

[7] Clifton-Everest, J. M. "Johann Gutenberg: The Man and His Invention (Review)." Parergon,

vol. 14, no. 2, 1997, pp. 200–203.

[8] History.com Editors. "Constantinople." History.com, A&E Television Networks, 6 Dec.

2017, www.history.com/topics/middle-east/constantinople.

[9] Narasimha, Roddam. "The Indian Half of Needham's Question: Some Thoughts on Axioms,

Models, Algorithms, and Computational Positivism." Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, vol. 28,

no. 1, 2003, pp. 54–66.

[10] Jonathan P. Eacott. "Making an Imperial Compromise: The Calico Acts, the Atlantic

Colonies, and the Structure of the British Empire." The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 69, no.

4, 2012, pp. 731–762.

[11] Saldanha, Terence J.V, et al. "How Information and Communication Technology Shapes the

Influence of Culture on Innovation: A Country-Level Analysis." Journal of Management

Information Systems, vol. 38, no. 1, 2021, pp. 108–139.

[12] Vlieghe, Joris. "Education in a Digital Age: How Old and New Technologies Shape Our

Subjectivities." Explorations in Media Ecology, vol. 17, no. 1, 2018, pp. 57–61.

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