1. Technological Progress and Human Development:
– Sociological and anthropological theories on social and cultural evolution.
– Technological progress driving human civilization development.
– Defining human development stages based on energy usage and information.
– The Kardashev scale categorizing energy use of advanced civilizations.
– Productivity and new product development as indicators of progress.
2. Early Technological Milestones:
– Use of stone tools and weapons by early humans for survival.
– Introduction of the Oldowan industry for stone tool making.
– Advancements in tools, fire, and clothing during the Paleolithic era.
– Significance of stone tool making in human development.
– Shift in history with the development of agriculture.
3. Technology and Economic Growth:
– Close link between technology and economic history.
– Influence of technological change on cultural traditions.
– Technology as a driving force for economic growth and development.
– Transformation of resources into technological artifacts for everyday use.
– Enabling the projection of economic, political, and military power.
4. Evolution of Communication Technology and Societal Advancements:
– Advancements in communication technology driving societal progress.
– Information and knowledge shaping societal development.
– Identification of human development stages based on communication advances.
– Impact of communication technology on economic and political systems.
– Classification of societies based on technology, communication, and economy.
5. Technological Advancements in Different Civilizations:
– Stone Age advancements like butchering, tool-making, and wood chopping.
– Evolution of stone tools through different Paleolithic eras.
– Neolithic advancements in polished stone tools and agricultural technology.
– Achievements in metal ages like copper smelting and bronze tools.
– Technological contributions from civilizations like Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, China, and the Hellenistic Mediterranean.
The history of technology is the history of the invention of tools and techniques by humans. Technology includes methods ranging from as simple as stone tools to the complex genetic engineering and information technology that has emerged since the 1980s. The term technology comes from the Greek word techne, meaning art and craft, and the word logos, meaning word and speech. It was first used to describe applied arts, but it is now used to describe advancements and changes that affect the environment around us.
New knowledge has enabled people to create new things, and conversely, many scientific endeavors are made possible by technologies that assist humans in traveling to places they could not previously reach, and by scientific instruments by which we study nature in more detail than our natural senses allow.
Since much of technology is applied science, technical history is connected to the history of science. Since technology uses resources, technical history is tightly connected to economic history. From those resources, technology produces other resources, including technological artifacts used in everyday life. Technological change affects, and is affected by, a society's cultural traditions. It is a force for economic growth and a means to develop and project economic, political, military power and wealth.
