Technology is the use of knowledge to reach practical goals. It includes both physical objects and intangible tools. It also refers to the process of designing a product or service that serves a purpose.
The earliest known technology was a stone tool used in prehistoric times. This was followed by the fire and the wheel in the Bronze Age. Later, the Industrial Revolution brought a more advanced form of technology. These innovations contributed to the growth of the human brain, the development of language, and facilitated wider travel.
In the Middle Ages, technological progress was particularly good. During the Renaissance, it was clear that the humanities had a much more positive attitude towards technology. However, by the nineteenth century, the critical attitude had become dominant.
Among the representatives of the critical attitude, many were schooled in the social sciences and humanities. They had little or no firsthand experience in engineering practices.
Nevertheless, their work contributed to the understanding of the relationship between technology and society. By the end of the nineteenth century, the philosophy of technology had already emerged as a discipline. A key question in the discipline is the connection between technology and rationality.
While there are many approaches to the study of technology, the analytic philosophers of technology focus on two main issues. Firstly, what is the meaning of technology for society? Second, how can we define the normative and descriptive aspects of technology?
The analytic philosophers of technology discuss these issues in terms of the relationship between technology and human action. To understand this relationship, it is necessary to examine the origins of technology.
