
1. Before Module Definition: Technology is a tool/invention/ideology that lessens work for someone
1.1. Technology in tools
1.1.1. The Plough: Allowed for farming to become less time consuming and tedious
1.1.2. The Printing Press: Allowed information to be shared widespread
1.1.3. The Internet: Allowed information to be shared even more widespread as well as saved
1.2. Technology in discovery/invention
1.2.1. Learning to use fire allowed for meats to be stored for longer which gave humans more free time not needing to replenish food so often
1.3. Technology in ideology
2. After Module Thoughts: Revised Deffinition- Technology is anything produced that lessens work for a being
2.1. I was very intrigued by viewing technology as an art or giving more abstract definitions for it in general.
2.1.1. “These are basically things do not occur “naturally” – which, for theists, are things God himself did not make. [As commenter Eric pointed out, this is a very broad definition which overlaps with things we would normally call art. I would also point out that this definition encompasses things that animals might make like bees’ hives and beavers’ dams.]” (Dyer 2009)
2.1.1.1. I like this quote because it helps define technology beyond human restrictions and beyond humanity itself and acknowledges how we were never the only evolving species with use for technology
2.1.1.2. Photosynthesis: does it count as technology?
2.1.1.2.1. Solar Panels: Widely considered technology, but the concept stems from photosynthesis
2.2. Technology + paradox
2.2.1. The more options you have the harder it is to choose
2.2.1.1. Is technology always beneficial?
2.2.1.1.1. While old inventions used to gave us more free time to pursue things not necessary to survive, new age technology can be used to take up as much time as possible with ads and social media
2.2.1.1.2. Sometimes it feels like technology produces more complications than choices, as Schwarz goes into detail about in his Ted Talk The Paradox of Choice
2.3. “The point to all of this is that ‘technology’ is not just the phones in our pockets and the laptops in our bags. When we use these pieces of hardware we are taking part in something much bigger than ourselves, something that affects us individually and socially.” (Dyer 2009).
2.3.1. I like the social connection, technology has always been a social concept because humans need to be social to survive
2.3.1.1. “Same thing with the hunter-gatherer tribes and early man: you didn't live beyond the age of 30. So it was a world without grandparents. And grandparents are very important, because they are the transmitter of cultural evolution and information. Imagine a world where basically everybody was 20 to 30 years old. How much learning can you do?” (Kelly 2010)
2.4. Is there one piece of technology that symbolizes the concept for you?
2.4.1. Social Media maybe- created to form connections but has now become a big source of addiction. This could symbolize the paradox of technology
2.4.1.1. Any technology created will have people who abuse it or extort it
2.5. “a creativity process involving human ingenuity.” (Hugh 2004)
2.5.1. I like this quote for its broad simplicity, however I would like the addition of other life forms beyond humans too, as discussed before
2.6. “Ide (1993) remarks that although the classical Greeks were not strong in technological advances, they produced numerous inventions, often in the field of warfare (e.g., solar mirrors that focused sunlight for starting fires on enemy ships, and machines for elevating or lowering gods on a theater stage). Note that the etymological root of the word technology, (i.e., technologia-the systematic treatment of an art), is in accord with the ancient Greek's use of technologies primarily for their aesthetics.” (Isman 2012)
2.6.1. Ties back to etymology in module
2.6.2. Need for technology as weapons
2.7. “The other thing that the early man invented was fire … It was, in a certain sense, in a McLuhan sense, an external stomach, in the sense that it was cooking food that we could not eat otherwise. And if we didn't have fire, we actually could not live. Our bodies have adapted to these new diets. Our bodies have changed in the last 10,000 years.” (Kelly 2010)
2.7.1. Technology changes us, as we use technology to evolve
3. References Dyer, J. (2009, December 27). Defining The Word "Technology" ... Four Times. Don't Eat The Fruit. https://j.hn/defining-the-word-technology-four-times/ Isman, A. (2012). Technology and Technique: An Educational Perspective. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 11(2). http://tojet.net/articles/v11/2/11222, pdf Printing Press [Photograph]. Britanica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/printing-press Solar Panels [Photograph]. University of Minnesota. https://environment.umn.edu/education/susteducation/pathways-to-renewable-energy/why-arent-solar-panels-everywhere/ TED Talks. (2010, February 22). Kevin Kelly tells technology's epic story (Video). Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS1xl1gcBa4&t=445s&ab_channel=TFD Thierer, A. (2021b, July 25). Defining “technology.” Technology Liberation Front. https://techliberation.com/2014/04/29/defining-technology/ Wild Forest [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/s/photos/wild-forest
4. Why we need new technologies
4.1. Simply put, we need technologies because we still have issues as a human species and on a personal level. Humans will never be perfect but try and use technology for good to try and prevent suffering due to illness, poverty or other social and physical issues.
4.1.1. With the addition of more technologies, issues have become more complex needing for even more technologies