Technology

[[File:Dampfturbine_Montage01.jpg|thumb|right|165px|An example of technological knowledge is the knowledge of how to not get sucked in and die.]]
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Technology ("science of craft", from Greek τέχνη, techne, "art, skill, cunning of hand"; and -λογία, -logia) is when you add up the techniques, skills, methods, and processes used in the production of goods or services or in the accomplishment of objectives, such as [[scientific]] investigation. Technology can be the knowledge of techniques, processes, and the like, or it can be embedded in machines to allow for operation without detailed knowledge of their workings. Systems (e.g., machines) applying technology by taking an input, changing it according to the system's use, and then producing an outcome are referred to as technology systems or technological systems.

The simplest form of technology is the development and use of basic tools, such as rocks. The prehistoric discovery of how to control fire and the later [[Neolithic Revolution]] increased the available sources of food, and the invention of the wheel helped [[humans]] to travel in and control their environment. Developments in historic times, including the printing press, the telephone, and the [[Internet]], have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale. Now we can finally be lazy.

Technology has many effects. It has helped develop more advanced economies (including today's global economy) and has allowed the rise of a 
lazy
 leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-products known as [[pollution]] and [[Global warming|deplete natural resources to the detriment of Earth's environment]]. 
[[Roko's basilisk|It can also rule the world and terrorize all humans.]]
 Innovations have always influenced the values of a society and raised new questions in the [[ethics]] of technology. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of human productivity and the challenges of bioethics.

Fortunately, we are finding new ways to use technology to our advantage. Medical equipment is needed for hospitals around the world, and without them, we die younger. Higher technology is what makes us human beings different from other animals because we have self-determination and find ways to develop objects that would help us adapt to our environment.{{efn|Some other animals have been found to create and use tools, a form of primitive technology.<ref>{{wpa|Tool use by animals}}</ref>}}

==Reductionism==
{{main|Reductionism}}
There is a reductionist belief among some technologists and technology promoters that any and all problems can be solved with technology.

An example of a reductionist was the [[bullshit]] example of horseshit reduction was the false claim in [[Foundation for Economic Education]]'s publication by [[libertarian]] Stephen Davies that the introduction of [[automobile]]s to replace [[horse]]s as a means of transportation in cities solved "The Great Horse-Manure Crisis of 1894".<ref name=davies>[https://fee.org/articles/the-great-horse-manure-crisis-of-1894/ The Great Horse-Manure Crisis of 1894] by Stephen Davies (September 1, 2004) ''The Freeman'' (Foundation for Economic Education).</ref> Davies [[PIDOOMA|made up a citation]], allegedly from ''[[News UK#The Times|The Times]]'' of London in 1894 that "one writer estimated that in 50 years every street in London would be buried under nine feet of manure."<ref name=davies/> In 2018, ''The Times'' itself has refuted the claim that such an article existed,<ref>[https://www.thetimes.com/comment/article/we-were-buried-in-fake-news-as-long-ago-as-1894-ntr23ljd5 We were buried in fake news as long ago as 1894] by Rose Wild (January 13 2018, 12.01am GMT) ''The Times''.</ref> yet as of 2025, neither Davies nor ''Foundation for Economic Education'' have corrected or retracted their article.<ref name=davies/> Thus was born an [[urban legend]].

The more extreme examples of technological reductionism fall under what historian Timothy Snyder has called "oligarchic escapes"<ref name>''On Freedom'' by Timothy Snyder (2024) Crown. ISBN 9780593728727.</ref>{{rp|203-208}} or what astrophysicist Adam Becker has called the "ideology of technological salvation".<ref>''More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley's Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity'' by Adam Becker (2025) Basic Books. ISBN 1541619595.</ref>{{rp|26-27}}

==See also==
*[[Technocracy]]

==Notes==
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==References==
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{{stub|Technology}}
[[Category:Oligarchic escapes]]
[[Category:Technology]]

Categories: Oligarchic escapes, Technology