This book offers a unique approach to studying the history of technology that focuses not only on how technology has shaped and continues to impact the world but also on deepening philosophical understanding of what technology is. Early in the book, Jones provides a novel five-part definition of technology that informs the subsequent chapters. Then, using carefully chosen and instructive cases, Jones traces the origins of technology through its development by humans, demonstrating how key steps in crafting and using tools and the advent of agriculture, written counting systems and language shaped the course of human history. Jones also explores important relationships between technology and other central spheres of the modern human world: science, economics, society and politics, and the environment. Examples range from pre-recorded history to the digital age, and numerous illustrations and photographs throughout the text bring these cases to life for readers. With its conversational tone, insightful asides, and pleasing style, Technology: Its Nature and Significance guides readers through an engaging exploration of the exciting and complex history of technology.
Comments
“Technology: Its Nature and Significance is indeed a book for everyone, thanks not only to its clarity and readability but also to its timely subject matter. Blending careful definition with well-chosen illustrations from the co-evolution of nature and the machine world, it slows down the typical rush to judgment about all things technological. If history is philosophy with examples, then this is a quiet tour de force of both philosophical reasoning and historical narrative. Jones speaks to major themes, issues, and questions addressing the complexity of technology, as well the differences that distinguish it from science, providing a powerful demonstration that philosophy and language matter.” — Michael Budd, Professor of History, Salve Regina University
