Incorporating Change

As I pondered this new view of technology enacting change upon our world, I came across an article entitled “Theories of Technological Change: Parameters and Purpose.” I believed I had found a gold mine of information on the exact topic I wanted. However, I read the article and realized that the view of technology as a force of change is the same thing that makes defining it so difficult. Thomas Misa states, “Theories about anything are notoriously difficult to grasp. The difficulties multiply when the subject is technology – ubiquitous in out modern world, yet not well understood. Difficulties mount even higher when the goal is a theory about change in something that is not well understood at rest.” (Misa 3). For the most part, I find Misa’s statement to be an excellent synopsis of why defining technology is a daunting task. However, I disagree with Misa on the point that technology, by its nature, is never truly at rest. It is changing, improving and enacting these changes on the world around it. Because of this, is defining technology even possible? We can certainly give examples throughout history, but what of technology that is not yet developed? Right now we have a fairly clear barrier as to what is natural and what is artificial, but what if technology causes the two to merge? What we develop an artificial brain that is capable of outperforming the human brain? That is just an example of something technology could give us. And this isn’t too far away. Technology seems to grow exponentially. The more developed it is, the faster it grows. The MacBook Pro I am using right now will be outdated in a few months, and obsolete in a few years. I have come to realize that this phenomenon, along with technology itself, is caused by the very human desire of want. One of the basic principles of economics is that people have unlimited wants and there are limited resources. As long as that want for more exists, technology will be the primary force of change in our world.

Technology's Presence in Nature

Despite the rapid and sometimes undesirable changes caused by technology, perhaps it is better to define technology as an ally in our conquest rather than an adversary. Humans, and by extension technology, are changing the world. As stated by V.M. Rozin, “Sooner or later – within a thousand years, let us say, although it looks like it will be much sooner – man will completely change the face and structure of the world.” (Rozin 36). What the earth will look like once humanity and technology have “triumphed” over nature I can not say. I found myself thinking what it would be like if everything natural was replaced by a technological variant. Metal “trees” absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen would dot the earth. Lakes and oceans would be replace with reservoirs of completely sterile water. Animals would not exist save for the ones we need for food. It is truly a shocking thought. But perhaps it won’t be that drastic. Maybe, instead of replacing nature, technology could protect and enhance it. Can you imagine world devoid of disease, drought, hurricanes, blizzards and other examples of nature’s wrath designed to scour that patch of land of anything that might call it home? This “invasion” by technology will definitely change the world for the benefit of humanity. It just depends the path this change takes.

The Literary Perspective

To some people, fiction is just that: fiction. But to others, fiction conceals, just beneath the surface of the plot and theme, symbolism alluding to the truths of the world, at least from the authors point of view. I must say that I am a staunch supporter of the second school of thought. No author just writes a story. Every word they put on paper has some kind of meaning to them. So, following that rationale, I sought to find a novel that would hold some kind of truth about what technology is. One classic story immediately came to mind: The Lord of the Rings. I'm not going to go into depth about the plot of the novels. Most everyone is probably familiar with it anyway, particularly since the release of the movies. However, I will state that in these timeless stories, Tolkien immortalizes his views on morality, warfare and even technology. Tolkien's view on technology is one that is barely considered in our tech-heavy society. Still, I believe it is worth mentioning for the sole purpose of painting a more complete picture of what technology is . Tolkien implies that technology is evil, corrupting and unnatural. His writing is filled with the theme that technology represents everything that is destroying Middle Earth. Indeed, the White Wizard's army of Uruk-hai is born of fire and industry. It is clear in The Lord of the Rings that the heroes fight for nature, purity, and preservation of the way things are. The villians, on the other hand, fight for technology, control, and the creation of a new order. Clearly this is an exaggerated view of the nature of technology, but is there some truth in it? Few can deny that more of the natural world is lost every day for the sake of technological progress. Are we under invasion even as we speak? Are we heading for a dark and evil end in our constant quest for advancement. Tolkien apparently thought so. Perhaps technology should be defined as an invasion. It is certainly changing our world, sometimes even without our consent. It is a common mentality with today's computerized populace that the world is changing and there is nothing that can be done about it. Everyone just assumes it is all for the sake of progress and everything will be all right in the end. Perhaps the only difference between the invasion of Middle Earth and our invasion by technology is that in Middle Earth, there was an external threat. We are up against a faceless adversary. But surely I'm being to cynical. Technology can't really be that bad, can it? I don't know. But it is definitely a possibility. The similarities are simply too numerous to ignore. Maybe in order to define technology I must look at it more a force in itself. Something with a set goal. Technology may be both the greatest ally and the greatest enemy mankind has ever faced.

The Dictionary Definition

For the next step on the way to understanding technology, I simply looked the word up in the dictionary. To be more specific, I looked it up on Merriam-Webster Online. Perhaps the dictionary definition can more accurately sum up the complexities of technology in a way I couldn't.

Merriam-Webster states that technology is "the practical application of knowledge in a particular area." (Merriam-Webster). Of the three definitions included, this is the most relevant to this issue. This definition covers I wide range of technological achievements. Unfortunately it fails to address the fact that technology doesn't have to be practical. Let's look at the modern SUV. Now, I'm all for the use of gasoline as a fuel source. I say use it until its gone, then find something else. But despite the fact that Americans love their gas guzzlers, they aren't practical. If we were doing the practical thing, car companies would all come out with the most gas efficient car they could. Yet millions of people are willing to pay more at the pump for a bigger, flashier vehicle. That may be their prerogative, and if they willing money for size, then more power to them. However, it is not practical. Even if we were to take the word practical out, this definition still fails to address the purpose of technology. It may incompletely sum up what, but not why. I had hoped to find a way to articulate why we develop technology.

It seems as if I still have more research to do. However, I have not been without progress. I may have found the beginning of my working definition of technology. It's vague and rather two dimensional, but at least it's a start. Perhaps I will be able to build on this definition and make it more complete.

Asking the Question

Very few words in the English language can evoke a response as varied and powerful as the word "technology." But what precisely is technology? This is a question that requires me to delve deeply into both my own experiences and those of others. It is a question where no answer is truly right and no answer is truly wrong. It is a question where even finding a definite answer is a luxury I can't rely on. Nevertheless, I will try. Everything begins with a question, and that is exactly where I am starting now.
Technology is a word that has changed drastically in meaning and importance over the course of history. Today the word generally conjures up the image of a computer, the epitome of modern technology. In the past the word was best represented by the printing press or even the wheel. Such varied examples of technology throughout history have not made defining it easy. Still, after thinking for a few minutes I remembered a definition that many of us have heard before. Technology is anything that is created to make our lives easier. This is a traditional definition and, up until now, that would have been the one that I would have used to define technology. Now I have found that definition to be incomplete at best, and downright wrong at worst. It is true that many exemplars of technological achievement were created to make our lives easier, but just as many were not. For example, let us look at the crossbow. Truly it was a marvel in its own time. It greatly lessened the influence of the knight on the battlefield and changed the course of warfare. I have never believed that humanity would be able to live without war. It is an integral part of our history and I'm sure that there will be many more wars in our future. Still, I do not believe that inventions such as the crossbow or the atom bomb have made anyone's life easier. In the case of nuclear weapons in the Cold War, they have even made our lives more difficult. I am not saying that inventions such as these were not important or necessary, just that they don't fit under the jaded view that the sole purpose of technology is to "help people."
Defining technology is a task I can't complete with my own input alone. I must ask others or consult other sources before I can hope to come up with a more complete definition of what technology is.