Technology in World Civilization
About This Novel
This book outlines the history of the development and spread of technology in the world starting from 1000 AD and spanning thousands of years. This discussion revolves around three key concepts: technological dialogue, environmental constraints, and industrial revolution. The author uses the term "technological dialogue" to challenge the top-down concept of "technology transfer", which suggests that after technology is introduced into a place, it is often adapted to local needs and conditions and often leads to further innovation. This book traces these encounters and exchanges over more than a thousand years, examining changes in technology such as agriculture, firearms, printing, electricity, and railroads, and exploring the technological conversations that took place in different parts of the world. In the past, the standard for measuring progress was the speed of technological innovation, the efficiency of creating output and profit improvement; now, the impact of technology on the environment has become a major issue. Therefore, the last few chapters of the book bring the story into the more realistic 21st century, discussing technological developments including petrochemicals, aerospace and digitalization from a global perspective, and proposing what kind of new industrial revolution is needed to meet the challenges of the Anthropocene.
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