Technology can be defined as applied science. Its purpose is to improve human lives. This includes making processes easier and faster. However, it also involves many social and societal impacts.
In modern society, technology has been criticized for its impact on the environment. Nevertheless, new technologies have greatly contributed to human welfare. They have ushered in a knowledge economy. These innovations have lowered communication barriers and increased the ability to interact with people around the world.
The word “technology” originates in the Indo-European root tek. Originally, it referred to a skill of working with wood. Later, it developed to include specialized expertise. Techne was often used to refer to artificial things. Some authors considered medicine and rhetoric as forms of techne.
Aristotle argued that technology is not only a means to ends. He believed that technology could also imitate nature. For example, he argued that house-building and weaving resembled nature.
As technology developed over time, it was categorized as one of six different types. Each stage is more complex and carries greater knowledge of the process.
A central theme of early technology is that it learns from nature. This is a thesis that echoes a similar thesis in the ancient philosopher Heraclitus.
Another prominent theme in ancient Greece is that nature is exemplary. This idea was supported by Democritus, who claimed that house-building and weaving were imitations of nature.
During the Roman empire, technological progress was remarkable. A wheel was invented, which enabled wide travel. Similarly, the use of fire contributed to the development of language.