Nye Technology Readings
In his first chapter, Can we define “Technology?,” Nye explores the evolution of tools in order to reveal that “technology” is ancient, rather than modern. In the most basic sense, Nye defines the birth of technology as the point in time when humans became capable of “remember[ing] past actions and reproduce[ing] them in memory.” This capacity to “see actions as a sequence in time” is what has allowed humans to create tools and therefore shape our environment.
Whereas today technology is viewed as anything involving computers, the internet, or other machines, Nye points out that technology can be traced back through the ages to this most basic ability to shape our surroundings. Simple tools, he argues, were most basic form of technology because they enabled us to satisfy for our desire for more than just the “necessities.” By analyzing the desires that result in tools, Nye believes that technology can be used to analyze the development of cultures and societies.
Having illustrated that tools are products of the societies from which they originate, Nye proceeds to correct the misconception that science creates “practical discoveries.” Rather, Nye contends that practical discoveries come first, tending to the desires of men, and scientific theory gradually follows with an explanation of why the discovery is possible. Considering this discovery-before-explanation definition of technological progress, Nye then makes the argument that technology is in fact more like art than science. Like art, technology must work with the “un-analyzable” before progress can be made. Only once a technological discovery is made can its meaning and processes be interpreted.
Nye’s interpretation of technology as a parallel to art comes in direct contrast to what he calls “technological determinism”—or the belief that a “direct line of technological development led from the first tools to the conquest of the stars.” In his second chapter, “Does Technology Control Us?,” Nye challenges the various theorists who support technological determinism. Citing societies such as the Amish and Japan who have systematically avoided the technological progress made by the rest of the world, Nye implies that the progression of technology is not inevitable but requires willful interaction and the acceptance of new developments. Whereas many historians argue that technology forces change, Nye argues that it can only result in change if it is used in a way that is accepted and effective within a culture. Agreeing with the author Fernand Braudel, Nye argues that “technology is just an instrument” and “man does not always know how to use it.”
Continuing to explore the interpretations of technology through history, Nye describes the negative attitude with which it was viewed during the industrial revolution in contrast to the hopes of socialists such as Lenin and Marx who held high hopes that the evolution of technology would create perfect, egalitarian societies. Further contending with the singular power of technology to compel change, Nye contradicts the “externalist” views Alvin Toffler and Marshall McLuhan. Nye’s ultimate argument is that technological determinism is a misguided theory that overemphasizes the impact of technology’s existence and undervalues the significance of the societal forces that create it and its use within a culture.
Nye’s arguments made me think about our discussions in class regarding the merging of technology and art. Whereas Nye points out that technology cannot be developed without intuitive leaps, we have encountered artists who are developing art with the determined use of technology. What is most interesting is that we have seen Nye’s theory in action in the real world—even in our own classroom—as we conceptualize the art we want to create but then have to back-track to create the technology necessary for its actualization.
Questions:
- Would you consider yourself a technological determinist? Or do you agree with Nye in his perspective on technology’s relationship to society?
- Has your view of technology changed having read Nye’s work? If so, how?
- Nye considers technology to be a reflection of the society that creates it. What do you think the internet, laptops, cell phones, etc. say about our society as a whole? What about other technologies—such as nuclear weapons? Cars?
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