There is, and has always been, a direct relationship between technology and politics. From the Paleolithic Era through the Urban Revolution and the birth of civilization, as technology grew and advanced so too did politics and the influence of politics on that same technology.
The origin of technology is not found in necessity, nor is it found in science. The origin of technology is rooted in our biology. It stems from our brains, our hands with opposable thumbs, and from our bipedalism. It is part of our human nature. Humans have always used technology. And through technology, humans change themselves.
The Paleolithic Era, also as known as the Old Stone Age, lasted for millions of years until approximately 10,000 BCE. Early people were food collectors – hunters and gatherers. They collected only what they needed; there was no food surplus. They worked less than twenty hours per week at their tasks. They were a nomadic people, moving often to areas that would allow them to collect the food needed to sustain them.
In the Paleolithic Era, technology played an important role. Compared to today’s technology Paleolithic technology is quite inferior, but to the people of the Paleolithic Era their technology was of paramount significance. Their tools made of stone, their sharpened sticks, their command of fire, and their development and use of speech were all technologies that made their way of life possible. These technologies helped to give them control over the things in their environment. Without these things, life as they knew it could not exist.
At this point in the Paleolithic Era, technology and politics coexisted in harmony; one did not dominate the other, nor did one influence the other. Their technology was simple. The...
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... Leaders emerged who told people what to do with their technology – you do this, you do that, you plant here, you plant this there. During the Urban Revolution and the birth of civilization, technology exploded and was being used for all sorts of activities. Strong leadership and government not only emerged, but conquered society. Kings, pharaohs, and top leaders were dictating what technology could and could not be used to carry out tasks. They created bureaucracies to aid in the running of government and to oversee the use of the various technologies. They were supporting the further development of technologies by investing time, effort and money into grooming classes of individuals to learn, study, improve current technology, and invent new technologies. As technology increased and became more advanced, so too did the politics used to control that same technology.
Immense changes took place between the Paleolithic and Neolithic time eras. One major change was the evolution of art. During the paleolithic time period, “…humans began making the first consciously manufactured pictorial images” (Kleiner, 16). The art they began creating came in a large variety. “During the Paleolithic period, humankind went beyond the recognition of human and animal forms in the natural environment to the representation of humans and animals (Kleiner, 16). They created portable paintings, sculptures, and figurines. “Art historians are certain, however, that these sculpture were important to those who created them, because manufacturing an ivory figure, especially one a foot tall, was a complicated process (Kleiner, 17). As
Paleolithic is often referred to as the Old Stone Age. "Paleo" means old and "lithic" means stone. The Neolithic time period is often referred to as the New Stone Age. "Neo" means new and "lithic" also means stone. The Paleolithic culture or way of life began about 2.5 to 2 million years ago. The Paleolithic Period ended at different times in different parts of the world, generally around 12,000 years ago in Europe and the Middle East. When the Paleolithic period ended, the Neolithic period took over and began 12,000 years ago somewhere in the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is characterized by the beginning of farming, the domestication of animals, the development of crafts such as pottery and weaving, and the making of polished stone tools. Life changed dramatically between Paleolithic and Neolithic times.
"Upper Paleolithic Tool Technologies." Upper Paleolithic Tool Technologies. The Regents of The University of California, 22 July 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. .
Prior to living in homes build to with stand the test of time, growing food their food source, and raising animals, humans were nomads who followed their food source around and were hunters and gathers. Although it took many years, from 8000B.C. to 3000B.C. for humans to go from hunters and gathers to a more common day life as we now know it, the result is referred to as the Neolithic Revolution the begins of human civilization. As the people of this time began to settle down and they began to both farm the land and domesticate animals for the better of the community. Along with the development of these communities as for the first time began to create social class among the many different roles they played in their community. Because the people of this time no longer roamed around some of the first signs of technology began to appear around this time as well.
Technology is used by its creator, the human race, to help it achieve a desired outcome of events or circumstances. Technology cannot pick and choose what it will and will not do; its actions are dictated by the controller of this technology, a puppet- master of sorts. In the novel 2001 A Space Odyssey, the people of the ancient world use technology to help them survive on the Open Savannah where there is little to eat if you cannot hunt the numerous beasts that roam the region, “With these weapons, the limitless food that roamed the savannahs was theirs to take,” (Arthur C. Clark p 23). When the ancestors of civilization discovered that simple sticks and stones could be used as weapons to hunt the many animals that walked among them every day, they took a step forward into a new age of discovery and learning. Now that their food supply was secure they were able to think about other mysteries that still ...
Paleolithic age presents the era when key human adaptations evolved in response to a variety of environmental changes experienced at the time. This period of human evolution coincided with change within the surrounding of man. Such included cooling, drying and unpredictable climatic patterns over the time. This increased amount of variability in environmental conditions raised the level of uncertainty and instability in their respective terms of survival, necessitated the man to adopt new habits to increase adaptability to the new and changing surroundings. The evolved structures and behaviors led to specialization to enable coping with changing and unpredictable conditions.
The Paleolithic Age, Greek for "Old Stone", is the era of the emergence of modern man. During this age, man was a hunter-gatherer species. Due to the plentiful sources of animals and plants, man could simply follow the herds and their migratory patterns. With no proprietary knowledge, each nomadic band was egalitarian as there was no distinction for a social ladder.
Paleolithic people did not build sophisticated houses or have free time to make complex tools because of their nomadic lifestyle. They moved around a lot looking for food and could only eat what they hunted or gathered. This did not give them much free time to focus on developing complex tools and weapons. The few tools that were created were made from chipped stone, wood, or animal bone, but were not very sophisticated compared to the tools invented in the Neolithic Era. Another disadvantage to living in the Paleolithic time is that they lived in temporary shelters, such as tents or caves. This was very dangerous because they did not have any protection from wild animals or from harsh weather conditions. Also, hunting for wild animals was a challenge and did not always provide the people with a steady food supply. Overall, life during the Paleolithic Age was very difficult because they moved around a lot, depended on hunting for food and did not live in permanent homes. They also used simple tools and followed wild animals, which was very
Some fundamental things that cavemen discovered were fire, hunting weapons, tools, and a verbal language that was much more complex than their animal ancestors. The first discovery, fire, provided them with warmth and protection, light, and heat to cook things. The second, hunting weapons, were made mostly of flint and dulled easily. The third advance was tools. They had tools that helped them in hunting and farming. Because they now had tools for farming, they could remain more stationary than their ancestors. Their language, consisting of only syllables, allowed them to communicate with less hindrance than their predecessors.
The Paleolithic era is known as the time when early humans developed tools made out of stone, hence the name “ Stone Age”. This time period dates back to prehistory and is regarded as the earliest stage in human development. These people were primarily known as hunters and gatherers, which meant they survived on either what they could kill or eating berries and nuts. Today, the modern human has since evolved to a more dominant species, as we are now more intelligent, have written language, and no longer have to rely on killing animals to survive. Although many things have changed over the centuries, I believe that we still have some aspects that are similar to our ancestors. Some similarities that I believe we have in common with the prehistoric people are in their tools and architecture, their culture, and their use of spoken language.
Technology is crucial in influencing society, therefore it is imperative to understand what influences technological development and how it changes society, such as social shaping and theories of technological determinism. Langdon Winner supports the social determination of technology through the findings of others and his theories of politically influenced technologies, thus Winner accounts for technological determinism through defining the theory in this context.
One of the most key examples of understanding human culture through archaeology is the topic of climate and the environment. As seen through history, there is an intricate relationship between the environment and life on earth. Through extensive research, archaeologists have the ability to take note of minor cultural changes that can be attributed to the environment during a particular time period. These changes include, shifts in methods of food collection, changes in the artwor...
When the world was created, there was no technology but yet man survived (Opara). As time moved on technology began to revolutionize the world. Man kept creating ways to make every life easier for themselves. I don’t see a problem with what man has created but what a man has become of it. I agree with Peace Chinwe Opara when he states in his article, “Technology has been implanted into people's blood. Man cannot do without technology. If technology is taken away, man will die. Imagine this world now without electricity. Do you think man will survive it?” People without technology will go crazy just like a chicken with its head cut off. Once upon a time man relied on their own strength, hard work and ideas to carry on business and complete everyday tasks. I’m not against technology but I can assure you that the direction of modern technology will only bring negative effects to society and the world.
Technology now literally controls the world and what goes on. The economy is dependent on the use of technology, but there are minor creation that don’t really have a use at all and can be done without it. So again my opinion is that technology is need in life, but at times it isn’t that use. Things that can be done by technology can sometimes be done by without it.
Science and Technology has been around from the beginning of time. It evolved from the everyday efforts of people trying to improve their way of life. Throughout history, humankind has developed and utilized tools, machines, and techniques without understanding how or why they worked or comprehending their physical or chemical composition. Before we go any further a definition has to be given for both Science and Technology because they are both different in their own right even though the two are almost indistinguishable. According to the Oxford Dictionary Technology can be defined as the knowledge or use of the mechanical arts and applied sciences, while Science can be defined as the branch of knowledge involving systematized observation and experiment. Science can be further divided into three separate categories; Pure, Applied and Natural Sciences. In addition technology is often defined as applied science, it is simply the application of scientific knowledge to achieve a specific human purpose, however, historical evidence suggests technology is a product of science.