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The Importance And Impact Of Changing Technologies On Western Civilization
Introduction
Technology “science of art” refers to methods, processes, skills, techniques and methods that are essential in the production of goods and services or skill that is required in the field of science. Technology is evolutionally and it has been there since the Stone Age era. Humans identified themselves in small communities and their main skills for survival was hunting and gathering. During the end of the ice age around 20,000 years ago there was gradual growth in population which led to introduction of town life. This period is known as the Neolithic revolution and was marked by an increased speed of technological advancement. At this period there was generation of power by using firewood, invention of tools and weapons such as spear and arrow, building techniques were introduced and were helpful in the building of the Stonehenge. These gradual improve in technology also led to introduction of manufacturing industries which had its genesis in the new Stone Age. This led to application of the technique in dyeing, distilling spinning and weaving baking clay etc. This transition in technology led to improved and efficient way of doing things thus improved communication and transportation methods. Therefore in general technology has led to transformed human life from the ancient civilization up to the current world.
The importance and impact of changing technology on western civilization
Impact on visual Arts And Architecture, art in western civilization date back to 14th century with consideration to Giotto’s work. Giotto was the first painter who attempted to represent his work in three dimensional realities, besides that he endowed his characters with true human emotions. However the most important development in arts arose in the 15th century. This is the time when merchants were allowed full patronage on their work. At this juncture of civilization key innovations in the field of art arose like the principle of linear perspective prominent in the work of Massacio (Hudson 600). The discovery of visual art was important as realism was achieved through scientific study of human anatomy; this was spearheaded by artists like Donatello. In European countries there was emergence of Gothic architecture and was inspired by classical ideas. In Athens ruled by Pericles he used to support artists and great thinkers. He paid artists in oder to rebuild Athens which was destroyed by Persians. Because of this a new temple Parthenon was build.
Impact on technological developments, western civilization saw a significant change in inventions and economic growth. At this period there was great technological advances, including, the use of gunpowder, improved building styles (medieval castles, Gothic architecture), mechanical clocks and improved agriculture in general (crop rotational). Important also in respect to technological development is growth in maritime technology. This development led to ship building which included lateen sails, sternpost mounted rudder and the skeleton first hull construction. In addition there was invention of navigational techniques such as, the dry compass, and the astrolabe this led to control at the sea by the military (Hudson 603). This also facilitated economic growth in the western civilization. Invention of the compass promulgated global navigation at the dawn of exploration age. Notable was the invention of mechanical printing pioneered by Gutenberg. This invention led to an unlighted society that was able also to influence other cultures.
Impact on philosophy and scientific advancement, Aristotle the father of philosophy led to the development of Christian philosophy and scholasticism methods. Scholars advanced natural philosophy by teaching independent treaties and in universities. Such include work of scholars like Roger Bacon, Duns Scotus and Albertus Magnus. The scholars advocated for empiricism, logic and secular study. Philosophy was important in western civilization is it enabled critical thinking and improved problem solving skills. In essence political philosophy in western civilization led to, state power, internal security, national unity, international justice which was widely used in England and Holland. This led to introduction of leaders who applied philosophy in their way of rule including Marcus Aurelias, Alexander the great and Jean Bodin. Meanwhile modern methods of science emphasis use of mathematics to understand nature as advocated by Grosseteste. This includes observation of universal law and prediction of outcomes. It was this advancement in science that led to formulation of parsimony principle known also as Ockham ’s razor. This principle is used today by modern science to select between two or more underdetermined theories (Hudson 603).
Impact on literature, the significant development in the western civilization was growth in vernacular languages. It was used in France in the 11th century and in England it was used in the 8th century. At the moment the popular genre of work was the romantic epics and troubadour lyrics. At the same time Italy was evolving in doing native literature and it was at this time that the greatest developments of that period were made (Mun,Yoon, Kim, Raghavan, & Park 18). The Divine comedy written by Dante Alighieri harmonized medieval and classical ideas. Literature was significant in the western philosophy as through it there was sharing of different ideas, understanding different culture and advance in philosophical knowledge.
The 3 most important inventions in early Western Civilization from the Sumerians to 1500 C.E..
The wheel, by its nature the wheel is a simple but important invention of all time. Archaeological excavation found that the oldest wheel that is known has roots in Mesopotamia dating back to 3500 BC. This was known as the Bronze Age, the period which influenced human civilization. During this period humans were already practicing animal husbandry and crop production and had social hierarchy. Invention of the wheel was done by the Sumerians who lived between river Tigris and Euphrates in the Middle East the Sumerians began with the invention of the potter’s wheel after 3500B.C. During that period the wheel was not present in any other civilization. The potter’s wheel was a flat disk that was made out of hardened clay. The wheel concept for it to become fully functional went through different stages of development and modification. Invention of the wheel was significant as it facilitated, transportation, wheels drove grinding machines to produce flour, and t to power heavy machinery (Mun et al 20).
The fabrication of copper, the first use of copper is credited to the Sumerians and the Chaldeans of Mesopotamia when copper was considered as a non precious metal. Archaeologists state that they acquired the skill of working with copper at around 5000 years ago (Koloski 40). Acquisition of this skill of working with copper was important in the sense that it led to growth of towns in Mesopotamia like, Ur, Sumer, and al’Ubaid Uruk. Copper was used by the Sumerians to make arrows, harpoons, and other small objects. In later years copper was used to make jugs vessels and chisels. Copper was also used to make wooden sled which is known as ‘The Queen’s Sledge’. The sled was drawn by two oxen wearing copper collars and a Sumerian soldier who matched alongside wore a copper helmet (Koloski 50). At such a time these people did practice burying under building foundations that is a record relating to the builder. In addition copper figurines were buried at the same time. An example of that copper peg 12 inch long relates to the king of first dynasty at Ur. Another example shows a god holding a peg about 6 inches long, at the temple of Ningursu (circa 2500 BC).
Astrology and lunar calendar, the Sumerian become first people to map stars into different constellation. Later on their discoveries were observed by the ancient Greeks. Besides that the discovered five planets and were visible to the naked eyes. They are the first to document movements of Saturn, Jupiter, mercury and Venus and the rudimentary cluster of constellation. This discovery was important as it enabled to predict city state fortunes and the battles of the future. Moreover they created the lunar calendar. With this calendar they observed phases of the moon and was used to count different month of the year. One impact of astrology led to them naming the city Erech to the goddess Ianna connected to planet Venus. Ur meant the city of light and was dedicated to the moon god Nannar. The ziggurat at Ur was a temple dedicated to the moon. (Koloski 90).
How technology has changed Western Civilization and it’s placement in world and what might be different if that technology were never invented.
Education, technology led to growing importance of education. During the early periods of civilization craftsmanship was acquired by serving under a master who trained the initiate in the arcane skill. This included oral and practical experiences. During this period education was more religious than rational application of scientific principles. In the western civilization craft training was institutionalized as a form of apprenticeship (Pilon 582). This has become a frame work in technical skills. During the onset of the 20th century all the advanced nation in industrialization have come to appreciate the importance of technological education in achieving industrial competence. Through education the western civilization were able to make inventions in medicine such as the invention of Xray. On the hand without the invention of technological education the western civilization would have remained a hunting and gathering, without education there would have been a mass extinction because of the lack of the ability to adapt to the environment around them.
Technological dilemma, modern technology present to the contemporary society with a number of problems that we call technological dilemma. The dilemma on one hand is over dependence on industrialized countries for survival and on the other hand that technology one day will destroy the quality of life and endangers the existence of society. Technology thus beckons the western civilizations to make decisions on how to make good use of the power available to the society in a constructive manner and not in a destructive manner (Pilon 584). Therefore there is need to control the usage of technology in order to resolve that technological dilemma. First there is need to regulate the application on nuclear technology. Next in line is to find the technology to control the growth of human population and still be able to provide food for the living population. Lastly technology pose a threat to the ecology through factors such as pollution arising from waste product of technology which in turn disturbs natural forces of regeneration. When such problems are reviewed then will technology be beneficial to society without detriment.
The quality of life, this is intensified between technology and society. The advance of technology in the western civilization has led to the improved standard of living, while this has led to a rapid growth in population in developing countries. In western civilization improved standard of living make technical competence attractive. No matter the sweetness in possession of material good, the human society to be complete requires other aspects of life such as abiding by the law and equality before the law. Those are the basic qualities of any society and questions arise whether technology is an asset or liability in acquiring such values. Technology and technological devices have been used to suppress the freedom of individual in order to be submissive to the state. Obedience to the state: the nightmare vision of Geoge Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-four(1949), with its telescreens and sophisticated torture, has provided literary demonstration of this reality. Its critical to note that technological advancement need high education and such the educated won’t compromise their freedom to technology which is not justified (Pilon 586).
Conclusion
Technology has brought significant changes in the world today both positive and negative impacts. The invention of the wheel for instance revolutionized the transport sector and improvement in war artifacts. The society today is so dependent on technology that it is ignorant of what if one day the technology doesn’t work and as the moment the society can’t live without it. Technologies make life easier and were it to go away it would make life tough. Technology and science has a huge impact on human activities. Inventions and discoveries including, evolution theory, and study of genes has provided evidence on existence of humans on a civilized and cultural point of view. Advance in technology has led to a better understanding of the world today and the society we live in. the different stages of technology has led to cultural development, economic growth, growth in religion, development of thoughts and other human activities. Technology has influenced politics, agriculture, medicine defense and diplomacy.
Work cited
Hudson, P. (2009). Heroes of invention: Technology, liberalism and british identity, 1750-1914. Business History Review, 83(3), 662-663.
Koloski-Ostrow, A. (2008). New perspectives on ancient technology and engineering in greece and Rome. Technology and Culture, 49(4), 1025-1030.
Mun, C., Yoon, S., Kim, Y., Raghavan, N., & Park, H. (2019). Quantitative identification of technological paradigm changes using knowledge persistence. PLoS One, 14(8)
Pilon, J. G. (2020). Reason, faith, and the struggle for western civilization. Cato Journal, 40(2), 582-587.