From: jimruttshow8596
Despite the pervasive importance of technology in the modern world, it has historically not been a rich academic field for theoretical study, unlike the history and philosophy of science [00:41:00] [02:41]. One reason for this perceived lack of academic depth is that technology is often “viewed as a kind of ugly sister” to science, considered a “lesser sibling” [02:52] [03:27]. Science is often glorified for creating and managing things like putting “men on the moon,” while technology is frequently blamed for societal issues [03:35] [03:46].
Technology as Applied Science: A Misconception
A common definition, notably from engineer Truxel, states that technology is “pure and simply applied science” [00:57:32] [00:57:42]. Many people believe that science comes first, and then technology follows [00:57:52]. However, this perspective does not accurately reflect the historical or functional relationship between science and technology [00:57:59].
Historical Context
Technology has existed for a very long time, potentially 11,000 years or even 300,000 years if human language and the use of fire are considered forms of technology [00:58:14]. In contrast, modern science, characterized by the close observation and study of nature’s phenomena, only dates back roughly to the 1600s [00:58:32] [00:58:51].
Notably, many significant technologies were developed before a full scientific understanding of their underlying principles existed:
- Steam Engine: The steam engine was invented and widely used before the field of thermodynamics was established [00:56:33] [00:56:39]. In fact, the steam engine’s existence spurred the scientific community to study heat engines, leading to the development of thermodynamics [00:56:41] [00:56:46].
- Early Aircraft: The Wright brothers’ pioneering work on aircraft in the early 20th century relied more on “old school tinkering” and trial-and-error than on a deep scientific understanding of aerodynamics [00:54:47] [00:56:17].
The Mutual Reinforcing Cycle
The relationship between science and technology is a “lovely cycle” or a “positive feedback cycle” [01:02:35] [01:02:38]. They are mutually reinforcing and cannot be said that one definitively comes before the other [01:02:55] [01:03:03].
- Technology enables Science: Science often builds from observation, and these observations are made possible through technologies (instruments) [00:59:10] [01:01:31].
- The telescope, invented around 1610, allowed Galileo to observe Jupiter’s moons, ushering in a new era in astronomy [00:59:21] [01:00:19].
- The microscope, developed later, led to new eras in biology, allowing the observation of bacteria and germs [01:00:26].
- Technologies like electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography enabled the study of the internal structures of organic molecules, famously leading to the discovery of DNA’s structure in 1953 [01:00:41] [01:01:04].
- The process of verifying scientific theories, such as general relativity, is “deeply and intimately involved with the technology necessary to make a reading, to gather the data or to do the experiment” [01:03:37] [01:03:52].
- Science guides Technology: Modern technologies, particularly in the last 100 to 150 years, are designed using scientific principles and understanding phenomena that science has uncovered [01:01:51] [01:02:05].
- GPS devices, for instance, are designed to account for principles of general and special relativity [02:17:17].
This feedback loop ensures that technologies provide science with new instruments and methods, and in turn, science provides technology with an understanding of new phenomena [01:02:40].
Deep Craft: The Non-Scientific Aspect of Advanced Technology
While science plays a vital role, advanced technologies on the cutting edge often emerge from “deep craft” rather than just scientific knowledge [01:25:44] [01:25:54]. This concept emphasizes that real expertise in advanced technology is not merely about science or mathematics [01:27:52].
Deep craft involves:
- Knowing “what works” and “what doesn’t work” [01:28:04].
- Familiarity with past attempts and experiments [01:28:08].
- Understanding how to improvise and troubleshoot when things go wrong [01:29:19].
- Crucially, this knowledge often “resides in people’s brains” and is highly collaborative, involving knowing “who knows about all this” and befriending them for advice [01:28:10] [01:28:21].
This “deep craft” is akin to “cordon bleu cooking,” requiring not just basic knowledge and grammar, but also extensive experience [01:29:07] [01:29:16]. It explains why regions like Silicon Valley can drive innovation in biotech, nanotech, or autonomous vehicles, not merely due to education or intelligence, but because of a built-up collective experience [01:29:31].