Our presentation challenged the students to analyze cultural change through the evolution of tools and the affect of technological advancement. Museums tell us about ourselves and the world in which we live. Natural History museums demonstrate the physical world and how we relate to it. Art Museums illustrate how man has creatively interpreted his world. Science museums explain how man has systematically interpreted the world around him.
History museums show how things used to be done.
Knowing how things used to be done can help us maintain our perspective on why we do things the way we do. By considering the level of a society's technology, as represented by the tools they use, and analyzing the evolution and advancement of that technology, we can gain a better understanding of why a society moved in one direction rather than another. During our presentation we asked the visiting students this question and most gave an example of current electronic technology, such as a computer or a laser beam. The students were then offered the definition of technology as the systematic knowledge of the industrial arts and applied science, and the definition of industry as skills and ingenuity. Based on these definitions, a caveman's club could be considered technology.