by jakevol2

History Of Technology

Measuring technological progress

Many sociologists and anthropologists have created social theories dealing with social and cultural evolution. Some, like Lewis H. Morgan, Leslie White, and Gerhard Lenski, declare technological progress to be the primary factor driving the development of human civilization. Morgan's concept of three major stages of social evolution (savagery, barbarism, and civilization) can be divided by technological milestones, like fire, the bow, and pottery in the savage era, domestication of animals, agriculture, and metalworking in the barbarian era and the alphabet and writing in the civilization era.

Instead of specific inventions, White decided that the measure by which to judge the evolution of culture was energy. For White "the primary function of culture" is to "harness and control energy." White differentiates between five stages of human development: In the first, people use energy of their own muscles. In the second, they use energy of domesticated animals. In the third, they use the energy of plants (agricultural revolution). In the fourth, they learn to use the energy of natural resources: coal, oil, gas. In the fifth, they harness nuclear energy. White introduced a formula P=E*T, where E is a measure of energy consumed, and T is the measure of efficiency of technical factors utilizing the energy. In his own words, "culture evolves as the amount of energy harnessed per capita per year is increased, or as the efficiency of the instrumental means of putting the energy to work is increased". Russian astronomer, Nikolai Kardashev, extrapolated his theory creating the Kardashev scale, which categorizes the energy use of advanced civilizations.

Lenski takes a more modern approach and focuses on information. The more information and knowledge (especially allowing the shaping of natural environment) a given society has, the more advanced it is. He identifies four stages of human development, based on advances in the history of communication. In the first stage, information is passed by genes. In the second, when humans gain sentience, they can learn and pass information through by experience. In the third, the humans start using signs and develop logic. In the fourth, they can create symbols, develop language and writing. Advancements in the technology of communication translates into advancements in the economic system and political system, distribution of wealth, social inequality and other spheres of social life. He also differentiates societies based on their level of technology, communication and economy:

hunters and gatherers,

simple agricultural,

advanced agricultural,

industrial,

special (such as fishing societies).

Finally, from the late 1970s sociologists and anthropologists like Alvin Toffler (author of Future Shock), Daniel Bell and John Naisbitt have approached the theories of post-industrial societies, arguing that the current era of industrial society is coming to an end, and services and information are becoming more important than industry and goods. Some of the more extreme visions of the post-industrial society, especially in fiction, are strikingly similar to the visions of near and post-Singularity societies.

By period and geography

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Early technology

Agriculture preceded writing in the history of technology.

Olduvai stone technology (Olduwan) 2.5 million years ago (scrapers; to butcher dead animals)

Acheulean stone technology 1.6 million years ago (hand axe)

Fire creation and manipulation, used since the Paleolithic, possibly by Homo erectus as early as 1.5 Million years ago

(Homo sapiens sapiens - modern human anatomy arises, around 200,000 years ago.)

Clothing possibly 100,000 years ago.

Stone tools, used by Homo floresiensis, possibly 100,000 years ago.

Ceramics ca. 25,000 BC

Domestication of Animals, ca. 15,000 BC

Bow, sling ca. 9th millennium BC

Microliths ca. 9th millennium BC

Copper ca. 8000 BC

Agriculture and Plough ca. 8000 BC

Wheel ca. 4000 BC

Gnomon ca. 4000 BC

Writing systems ca. 3500 BC

Bronze ca. 3300 BC

Salt

Chariot ca. 2000 BC

Iron ca. 1500 BC

Sundial ca. 800 BC

Glass ca. 500 BC

Catapult ca. 400 BC

Horseshoe ca. 300 BC

Stirrup first few centuries AD

Stone Age

A variety of stone tools

During the Stone Age, all humans had a lifestyle which involved limited use of

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