INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY

By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the earth for the first time and explore space.

Technology is a broad concept that deals with a species usage and knowledge of tools and craft, and how it affects a species ability to control and adapt to its environment. In human society, it is a consequence of science and engineering, although several technological advances predate the two concepts. Technology is a term with origins in the Greek “technologia”. “techne”,(“craft”) and “logia” (“saying”). However, a strict definition is elusive; “technology” can refer to material objects of use to humanity, such as machines, hardware or utensils, bit can also encompass broader themes, including systems, methods of organizations, and techniques.

The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include “construction technology”, “medical technology”, or “state-of-the-art technology”.
People’s use of technology began with conversation of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available the sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in traveling in and controlling their environment. Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the internet, have lessened physical barriers to communications and allowed humans to interact on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used peaceful purposes; the developments of weapons of ever-increasing destructive power gas progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons.

Technology has affected society and its surround in a number of ways. In many societies, technology has helped develop more advanced economies (including today’s global economy) and has allowed the rise of leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-product, known as pollution, and deplete natural resources, to the detriment of the earth and its environment.

Various implementations of technology influence the values of society and new technology often raises new ethical questions. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of human productivity, a term originally applied only to machines, and the challenge of traditional norms.

Philosophical debates have arisen over the present and future use of technology in society, with disagreements over whether technology improves the human conditions or worsens it. Neo-Luddism, anarcho-primitivsm, and similar movements criticize pervasiveness of technology in the modern world, claiming that it harms the environment and alienates people: proponents of ideologies such as transhumanism and techno-progressivsm view continued technological progress as beneficial to society and humans condition. Indeed, until recently, it was believed that development of technology was restricted only human beings, but recent scientific studies indicate that other primates and certain dolphin communities have developed simple tools and learned to pass their knowledge to other generations.