Technology has affected our society in various ways. In many societies, technology helped to develop more advance economies and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Technological process also produces unwanted products, known as pollution. Various implementations of technology influence the values of a society and new technology raises new questions. Philosophical debates have been arisen to the present and future use of technology in our society. The use of the term technology has changed its meanings significantly over the last 200 years. Before the 20th century the term was not common in English. This term was usually referred to the description or study of the useful arts. The term was often connected to technical education as in Massachusetts institute of technology. Technology rose to prominence in 20th century in connection with the second industrial revolution era. The meanings of technology changed in early 20th century. By 1930s, technology referred not to the study of the industrial arts but to the industrial arts themselves. In 1937 the American sociologist Read Bain wrote that technology includes all tools machines utensils weapons instruments housing clothing communicating and transporting by which we produce them. Bain’s definition remains common among scholars today. But equally prominent is the definition of technology as applied sciences especially among scientists and engineers although most social scientist and engineers who study technology reject this definition. Technology can be most broadly defined as the entities, both material and immaterial, created by the application of mental and physical effort in order to achieve some value. In this usage technology refers to the tools and machines that may be used to solve problems in real world.
Friday 18 May 2012
