Our ancestors fashioned their tools from metals even before the science of metallurgy was know. Early people produced and drank wine, and used cosmetics even before the process of fermentation and the science of cosmetology were known and develop.
During early days, science and technology were separated from each other. Science belonged to philosophers while technology belonged to the tanners, millers, and silversmiths.
In the thirteenth century, science and technology became more closely related. We owe this to Roger Bacon (1214-1294). He designed experiments to confirm scientific theories. This led to a program of reforms in which new areas of scientific studieswere opened in the universities of the west. These scientific studies brought together science and technology.
In the nineteenth century, many inventors based their inventions on the works of scientists.
1. Thomas Edison (1847-1931), the inventor of the electric lamp, based his invention on what Michael Faraday (1791-1867) and Joseph Henry (1797-1878) discovered about electricity.
2. Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the inventor of the telephone, based his invention on what Herman Von Helmholtz (1821-1894) discovered about waves.
3. Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937), the inventor of the wireless telegraph, based his invention on what Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894) and James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) discovered about electromagnetism.
Today, humanity is increasingly dependent on science and technology to meet its material needs.
Most of the water we use for drinking has been scientifically treated and purified. We use electric appliances at home and in our offices. We use machines that simplify the tasks of daily living. Better clothing is available because science and technology have provided better fabrics and improved methods of textile manufacture. Technology has also made possible the development of better soaps and cleaners to clean our clothes, more nourishing food for our bodies, better materials for building homes, and more effective drugs to cure or prevent diseases.
Other far-reaching developments may accompany the advancement of technology. Examples are language-translation machines that will bring the goalof worldwide communication a step closer; increased success in the transplant of natural vital organs from one person’s body to another; and probably the most dramatic of them all, the establishment of a manned spacecraft on the moon. It is possible what within your lifetime, you may see the partial control of the weather; the complete elimination or control of viral and bacterial diseases; the correction of hereditary defects; and the laboratory creation of primitive forms of artificial life.
Soon many of you will receive computer-based instruction that permits a “conversation” between you and the computer programming, decision theory, and systems analysis more meaningful. We now live in a dynamic age of satellite-relayed television, electromechanical “brains”, guided missiles, and miracle drugs. Each of these far-reaching developments will affect our daily lives. A study of the products of science and a fuller understanding of the role they play in modern society is important.
Technology has helped improved our lives. Through technology we have better shelter and clothing, increased food production, and a higher standard of living. In the field of agriculture, technology has helped improved food production and preservation.
Technology can also have harmful effects. The outcome of technology should be considered and carefully studied to determine its effects on man and society. For instance, gases produced by cars and factories may pollute the air and produce harmful effects. Technology should be used with caution. It should be used to produced new products and develop new methods, which could help many people lead healthy lives. But the harmful effects of technology must be carefully weighed and prevented.
note: Originally posted at triond.com under the same author.