Technology and the Growth of Civilization [electronic resource] /
Genta, Giancarlo.author.
Riberi, Paolo.author.
Our natural world has been irretrievably altered by humans, for humans. From domesticated wheat fields to nuclear power plants and spacecraft, everything we see and interact with has in some way been changed by the presence of our species, starting from the Neolithic era so many centuries ago. This book provides a crash course on the issues and debates surrounding technology’s shifting place in our society. It covers the history of our increasingly black-box world, which some theorize will end with technology accelerating beyond our understanding. At the same time, it analyzes competing trends and theories, the lack of scientific knowledge of large sections of the population, the dogmas of pseudoscience, and the growing suspicion of science and technology, which may inevitably lead to scientific stagnation. What will the future of our civilization look like? How soon might scientific acceleration or stagnation arrive at our doorstep, and just how radically will such technological shifts change our culture? These are issues that we must address now, to insure our future goes the way we choose.
Our natural world has been irretrievably altered by humans, for humans. From domesticated wheat fields to nuclear power plants and spacecraft, everything we see and interact with has in some way been changed by the presence of our species, starting from the Neolithic era so many centuries ago. This book provides a crash course on the issues and debates surrounding technology’s shifting place in our society. It covers the history of our increasingly black-box world, which some theorize will end with technology accelerating beyond our understanding. At the same time, it analyzes competing trends and theories, the lack of scientific knowledge of large sections of the population, the dogmas of pseudoscience, and the growing suspicion of science and technology, which may inevitably lead to scientific stagnation. What will the future of our civilization look like? How soon might scientific acceleration or stagnation arrive at our doorstep, and just how radically will such technological shifts change our culture? These are issues that we must address now, to insure our future goes the way we choose.
Preface by the Authors, with Acknowledgements -- Preface by Giuseppe Tanzella Nitti -- Foreword -- 1. Technology in prehistory -- 2. From prehistory to history -- 3. Greek rationality -- 4. From Abraham to Jesus: The Judeo-Christian rational horizon -- 5. The Roman world and the “broken history” -- 6. The Middle Ages: “Dark ages” or the dawn of technology? -- 7. The beginning of scientific technology -- 8. Technology, capitalism and imperialism: the rise of the West -- 9. The dark side of technology -- 10. Industrial revolutions -- 11. The irrationalistic constant -- 12. Beyond the horizon -- Epilogue -- Appendix: Chronological tables -- Bibliography -- Index.
History.
Philosophy.
Technology—Sociological aspects.
Technology-History.
Popular Science in History.
Philosophy of Technology.
Science and Technology Studies.
History of Technology.