The effect of Technology on Society in the Past 50 years

The effect of Technology on Society in the Past 50 years

I . Introduction

Technology is the use of scientific knowledge to develop and produce goods and services useful to man . Technologists use the discoveries of science to produce tools , machines , and methods for industry communications , transportations , medicine , warfare , and other human activities . In turn , the products of technology are often used by scientists to further their investigation

A nation 's level of technology depends on the extent to which current scientific knowledge is put to practical use . The United States is

br considered a technologically advanced nation its major industries used advanced production techniques such as automation , its health institutions used advanced treatments such as laser-beam surgery , and use of up-to-date scientific knowledge is made in most other everyday activities . A nation in which most production is carried on by handicraft methods , and communications and transportation are equally old-fashioned , is considered technologically backward , or underdeveloped

Technologically advancement , however , brings not only wealth and benefits to the world but also serious problems - pollution and other damage to the environment and a rapid consumption of natural resources

Just as some countries are more technologically advanced than others so are some industries . The electronics and aerosphere industries , for example , are generally technologically advanced wherever they are established (Because of the great investment in money , plants and equipment , and skilled personnel required to operate them , these industries are found only in those countries that have a generally high level of technology . Agriculture , on the other hand , is a technologically backward industry in mot parts of the world

The purpose of this study is : 1 ) know the origin of technology 2 ) be aware of the historical progression of technology and its current status and 3 ) understand the future projections and know the Christian World-View Response about it

II . Background

Technologies are another aspect of culture that spans two of Bierstedt 's major dimensions . Technologies are the things (material culture ) and the norms for using them that are found in a given culture Without the norms that govern their use , things are useless . The president of Sony Corporation illustrated this point with the example of a tape rec that failed in Japanese markets , not because it was a bad product but because the Japanese had not yet developed norms for using it . The same problem plagues the home-computer industry in the United States today . The computer itself appeals to the values of efficiency and learning , but the norms regarding its use in the home have not yet developed fully

Another example of the interaction of norms and material culture in advancing a technology is found in modern communications . The electronic machinery to transmit movies directly into the home via the telephone exists . But norms have not been developed to sort out how artists suppliers , and others will be paid for their products and how their work can be protected against resale by the home consumer . Conflict over how the norms will operate is holding technological change in...