From: jimruttshow8596
Introduction
Technology, while crucial to human progress, has surprisingly lacked a rich academic field dedicated to its theories, unlike the history and philosophy of science [02:41:07]. This stems partly from a perception that engineers are not deeply interested in the foundations of technology [03:10:11] and partly from technology being viewed as a “lesser sibling” to science, often blamed for problems while science is glorified [03:27:14]. However, the nature and evolution of technology reveals that technologies, especially in groups, are fundamental drivers of economic and societal change [04:01:43].
Technologies as “Domains” or “Clusters”
Rather than viewing technologies as isolated inventions, a deeper understanding reveals that they often emerge in clusters or “domains” [01:14:56]. These “big collections or clusters of technology” define new eras and can redefine society over decades [01:17:43], [01:18:08]. This concept is closely associated with economic historian Carlota Perez [01:32:00], whose work “Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital” explores how these clusters transform societies [02:00:54].
Historical Examples of Technological Clusters
- Early Industrial Revolution (c. 1760s): The emergence of canals and water wheels marked an initial cluster [01:29:43], [01:30:13].
- Steam Engines (c. 1820s): Steam engines subsequently began to displace canals [01:37:25], [01:39:10].
- Railroads (c. 1840s-1850s): Railroads then ousted canals, defining a new era of transportation [01:43:08], [01:46:17]. The railroad cluster involved steel manufacturing, rail laying, locomotives, and signaling (including telegraphy) [01:57:56]. This drastically reduced travel time, e.g., London to Bristol from two weeks by ox-drawn carriages to three to four hours by train [01:59:34], [02:03:00].
- Optical Technologies (1600s): A cluster formed as optical phenomena became better understood, leading to instruments like telescopes and microscopes, which in turn ushered in new eras in astronomy and biology, enabling the observation of bacteria and germs [01:56:11].
- Chemical Technologies (1700s-1800s): Industrial chemicals developed as chemical phenomena were harnessed [01:59:02].
- Electrical Technologies (1840s-1880s): Understanding electrical phenomena led to electric motors and equipment [02:03:22].
- Electronics (c. 1905-1960s): This cluster brought forth primitive radios, television, recording devices, and microphones [01:17:27].
How Clusters Reshape the Economy and Society
Economists historically viewed the economy as a container that occasionally produces new technologies [01:13:16]. However, a more comprehensive view is that technologies create the economy [01:49:03]. The economy is “built around its technologies,” with technologies serving as the “skeleton” [01:55:01]. When new clusters emerge, they not only recreate the economy but also define a new form of society [01:50:06], [01:53:07].
For example, the automobile transformed society, giving rise to the suburban era [01:20:41], [01:51:39]. Areas like Silicon Valley, once a string of small towns along a railway line, conglomerated into a metropolitan area with the advent of the automobile [01:59:02]. This impact of technology on societies and individuals is a continuous process.
Industry Adoption of New Technological Domains
Industries encounter these new bodies of technology and selectively adopt elements they find useful, combining them with their existing functions [02:11:12], [02:16:30].
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Computer-based Banking: In the 1970s, as computers became available, banks began to integrate computational devices like IBM mainframes with their traditional accounting and transaction processes. This “encounter” led to the birth of modern computer-based banking [02:21:37].
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Digital Technologies (Present Day): The current era is defined by the digital technology cluster, including blockchain, Bitcoin, widespread sensors, big data, modern computing, and advanced telecommunication systems using satellites and fiber optics [02:22:56]. Industries like healthcare are being transformed as traditional practices (e.g., doctors filling forms, paperwork with insurance companies) are digitized and automated, leading to highly interactive, platform-based healthcare systems where images can be taken locally, transported globally by fiber optics, analyzed by humans and algorithms, and feedback provided rapidly [02:32:51].
This constant morphing and changing of the economy occurs as industries adopt new possibilities from available technological domains, each at their own rate [02:34:34].
Conclusion
The evolution of technology, driven by the emergence and adoption of these “clusters” or “domains,” is not merely an incremental improvement of existing items but a fundamental re-creation of economies and societies [01:50:06], [01:53:07]. This perspective highlights the profound impact of technology on societies and individuals and underscores how technology and algorithms reshape our world.