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Technology has certainly had an impact on the history of man. Not only have the devices and processes that have emerged from advancements in technology had their effect so has the relationship of technology to politics, economics, science, and the arts. Technology has affected how man interacts with man and as history is a record of man's interactions with each other technology has affected history.
Not surprisingly, historians have adopted different approaches to examining the effect that technology has on history. Essentially, two approaches have emerged to dominate the field: technological determinism and social constructionism.
The essence of technological determinism is that it is the introduction of new technology changes society and that these changes are often unexpected. For example, proponents of technology determinism would argue that the introduction of printing changed society from one driven by oral communication into a society driven by writing and literacy or that the...
Technological determinists believe that it is technology that drives economic forces in society and that it is the economic forces in society that shape society. Therefore, it is also technological determinism that also shapes society.
Critics of technological determinism have gained recognition in recent years. Their chief argument is that such approach is far too simplistic and ignores the interrelationship between society and technology. In response to these criticisms has emerged the social constructionism approach. Social constructionism…
Critics of technological determinism have gained recognition in recent years. Their chief argument is that such approach is far too simplistic and ignores the interrelationship between society and technology. In response to these criticisms has emerged the social constructionism approach. Social constructionism views technology as developing in response to societal needs but it cautions the observer to take a critical stance toward how one understands or view the world. It warns that one should be suspicious of assumptions and how the world appears. In applying such theory to history, social constructionists see that how matters develop during a specific period are dependent on the social and economic circumstances in existence during such period. In understanding history, therefore, it is important to understand the factors affecting society at any given moment in time and that it is a combination of relative factors that determine how history develops as opposed to the simple introduction of new technology as the technological determinists would argue.
Which approach provides a clearer and more accurate understanding as to how technology impacts history is difficult to assess. As with all theories, there are compelling arguments on both sides but as one examines how rapidly society has changed in the past two centuries it is difficult to argue that technological determinism does not have the stronger position. Beginning with the Industrial Revolution and the multitude of ways that such technology changed society and affected how individuals interacted with one another and continuing through the various major technological changes that have occurred since technology has seemingly been the driving force behind societal changes. As society changes, so does its history. How different would the world be today without electricity; atomic power; computers; or the internet? As technology has changed so has society. Those living in early 20th Century America would hardly recognize life in 2012 America and the basis for this change has to be attributed to technology. It would appear that the technological determinists have it right.
History Technology
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