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1-Page Summary of What Technology Wants

The “Technium”

Technology is such a huge part of our lives that we often take it for granted. Technology has been around for thousands of years, and the Greeks used the term techne to refer to human qualities like art, skill and craftsmanship. Language, law and culture are all examples of “soft” technology that have guided humanity throughout history. Harder technologies include things like flint axes, plows and internal combustion engines—and now computers too! All these inventions combined make up what’s called the technium: a self-sustaining system driven by human impulses. As technology becomes more pervasive in our daily lives, we must be aware of how it affects us on an individual level as well as at a societal one.

From Old to New

Technology predates and extends beyond human endeavor. For example, birds use sticks or stones as simple tools, while chimpanzees have been known to use rocks for hammers. Early humans were able to make better tools with the help of their brains, which allowed them to create more complex technology over time. Starting about 50,000 years ago (about when “modern” humans evolved), populations spread quickly around the world due to developments in language and longer lifespans. This meant that people could coordinate their activities across times and places through language; this ability helped people learn more than they would by themselves in any given situation. Increased technology also led to increased nutrition levels and longer lives—the latter of which was a first in human history because it enabled grandparents to live long enough so that they could pass down their knowledge about how to live well from one generation into another generation’s hands rather than dying before having children who had not yet lived long enough for them to become grandparents themselves. Technology has both created humanity as well as changed it throughout its development over time; we are what we are now because of our technologies’ influence on us over many generations since we began creating them ourselves at some point in prehistory.

Technology is a living, breathing thing. It’s similar to how life works in that there are patterns of advancement and change. Just like single-celled organisms became multicellular creatures, simple communication technologies have become more complex over time. The written word has led to global communication networks, just as spoken language evolved into the written word. Complexity and order increase over time when it comes to both life forms and technology.

Biologically, we are the same as our ancestors from thousands of years ago. However, technology is constantly changing and evolving. We can find old technologies around us today in small-time use. Technology changes human society because it builds upon itself; when a new computer chip comes out, it creates ripples throughout the technological world.

Technology has a multiplying effect that improves human life. The pace of change is now faster than ever before, and this is due to technology’s ability to improve lives. People expect progress and are willing to make changes, even when it comes at the expense of their comfort zone. Technology can also have negative consequences such as pollution or waste but overall its impact on society is positive.

The Nature of Technology

Technology’s development is predetermined. People have limited control over the technology they use, but it is not random. The physical universe, history and free will determine how technology develops.

The development of roads from the Romans to today’s space shuttles has been a continuous process. The Romans built their roads, which were originally designed for horse-drawn carriages. Later on, people kept building new roads and used the same dimensions as those in Roman times. Then railroads adopted the same road widths for their tracks, and later on people used that same dimension when designing rockets for space shuttles.