Technology is a part of our every day lives, everywhere we go we see and use new and pre existing technology. Everyday there is new technology to use and master. However the question we must ask is ‘what is technology?’ Many different philosophers have theorized this question and these philosophers fall under four main categories of thought: technological determinism, instrumentalism, substantivism, and critical theory.
The instrumentalist view of technology views technology as merely a tool used and controlled by humans, technology itself has no ends. Technology is completely under human control; humans shape history, not by technology. People decide when to use technology and what to use it for.
A large supporter of instrumentalism is Melvin Kranzberg. In his article titled “Technology and History: ‘Kranzberg’s Laws’” Kranzberg identifies and explains his six laws about the nature of technology. The laws are as follows: ‘Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral’, ‘Invention is the mother of necessity’, ‘Technology comes in packages, big and small’, ‘Nontechnical factors take precedence in technology-policy decisions’, ‘All history is relevant, but the history of technology is the most relevant’, and ‘Technology is a very human activity – and so is the history of technology’. The most important laws are Laws Two, Five and Six, which will be explained further shortly.
Kranzberg’s Second law states that ‘Invention is the mother of necessity’. By this, Kranzberg means is that every invention requires additional technological advances in order for it to be fully successful. For example, the telephone, invented by Alexander Graham Bell, needed improvement for it to be an effective part of society, thus a better microphone was invented and a mechanism for dialing other phones. Another example used by Kranzberg is the design of a more powerful rocket. For the rocket to be effective chemical engineering advances are needed to produce power, stronger materials are needed to withstand the thrust, and more control mechanisms are needed. This proves that technology is a tool used for the advancement of technology.
As stated by Kranzberg, the Fifth law claims that ‘All history is relevant, but the history of technology is the most relevant’. With this law Kranzberg is saying that without certain technologies many things that we study as history now would not have been possible. He believes that schools should focus on history in terms of technology rather then in terms of events in which technology is used. Take, for example, gunpowder. Without the invention of gunpowder guns would have not been made, or if they have they would not be as powerful. If guns had not been invented the native peoples of the America’s could still be in control of the continent. This law shows that technology is a tool used to advance history, and without that tool the history we are taught today would be much different.
The last Law about the nature of technology that will be discussed is Kranzberg’s Sixth and final law. His sixth law states that ‘Technology is a very human activity – and so is the history of technology.’ Kranzberg explains that we as a society create tools (technology) to help improve our lives and make out lives easier, in turn, however, it also helps advance the history of technology. In the article Kranzberg uses the computer as a perfect example of this law. A computer is essentially two parts, the hardware (mechanical element) and the software (human element). Without the software, the hardware is a useless object. Without the hardware, the software is meaningless. Both are required in order to make the whole useful. This example shows that technology is a tool manipulated and controlled by humans, since without the human element a computer would be useless.
Many other philosophers have very different views in regards to the nature of technology. One such view is Technological Determinism, this view will be used because it is the most directly opposite view, then that of Instrumentalism. In short, a technological determinist views technology as “the prime mover in history” (Chandler, 2014). Technology is viewed as the primary cause of changes in society. Automobile manufacturing is a good example of this. The manufacturing industry gives millions of jobs to people, however people are not building the cars. The machines in a facility build the cars. The only purpose for humans in the industry is to maintain these machines. A determinist sees technology as autonomous, separate from humans. This is exactly where the views go against each other. Staying with the same example, an instrumentalist would say that humans are using the machines as tools to build cars, making the machines dependent of humans.
Works Cited
Chandler, D. (2014, July 3). Retrieved October 2015, from Technological or Media Determinism: http://visual-memory.co.uk/daniel/Documents/tecdet/tdet02.html