Exploring My Own

Technology. It has become a household word, generally associated with the modern world. Technology has come to refer to electronics, machines, and anything that makes our life easier. But what about 200 years ago? Did they have technology? They most certainly had new inventions, new ways to do things, creations to make their lives easier. Was that technology? I don't really know. Is technology something that IS current, or something that WAS current? Is technology limited to those alive today, or should we consider ancient inventions technology. The wheel had no circuit boards, but it certainly revolutionized the way the world saw transportation. What about fire? Perhaps some dictionary definitions can aid my pursuit. Answers.com gives us 4 different definitions. The first 3 are very specific in what they address, the application of science, the scientific method, and electronics. These give us a pretty good idea about technology today. The 4th, however, addresses technology as a more abstract, intangible thing. "The body of knowledge available to a society that is of use in fashioning implements, practicing manual arts and skills, and extracting or collecting materials." Is technology simply that, an idea? Is it knowledge that we have gained? We have gained the knowledge of electronics, of wireless internet, of cell phones. We at one point gained the knowledge of fire, so does that make it technology, or is its status as technology limited to when it was discovered? I think that we could still call fire technology. It is still knowledge that we possess. I think that if anything I am closer to understanding technology, perhaps more as an idea than a thing.