I view technology as something that has a practical application for humans.
Technology is evoluionary in two ways:
1.The use of a technology evolves to different uses as humans learn to use it. For example in the attached clip from Stanley Kubric’s movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, technology in the form of a club is used as a tool for hunting. Not shown in the clip is how man learned to use the club as a tool for gaining power by using it as a weapon.
2. Technology is also evolutionary in how it creates more technology. For example, light created from a candle creates a ‘need’ for a less temporary light source such as a light bulb. Or, oral stories create a ‘need’ for a more permanent form of communication such as ‘text’.
While I have attached a clip of a Stanley Kubric movie, I do not profess to understand most things that he put on screen. While the full meaning of 2001 is lost on me, I do think this one scene provides a good example of the evolution of technology.
Hi Garth, your reflections made me think that technology is not possible without human’s reasoning. And the way we use technology varies according to the way we think and apply our thinking. Great post!
Cheers,
Angela.