The Exploratory Essay: Part 1

When faced with the challenge to discover the true meaning of the word “technology”, I struggled to think of exactly one definition for the idea. The term “technology” is so broad and amorphous that I even thought it to be impossible at first glance. It is not even something that has a clear list of items that fall under its name. Sure, you can think of random things off the top of your head – a cell phone, a car, plumbing – but when you really think about how incredibly open a term “technology” is, the act of simply making a list of things that can be considered technological is ultimately meaningless because the list would theoretically never end. Once I figured that out, I had to think about what I really wanted to know about this vague concept, and I came up with some questions regarding the matter.

First of all, is the definition of technology dependent on time? If something is said to be technological, will it remain “technological” for the rest of time? For example, when did the word technology virtually become synonymous with the word electronic? Second of all, in what way is technology linked to the cultural development of human civilization, and are the two dependent on one another? Thirdly, how much does practicality play a role in defining what is technological? For example, certain forms of art can be just as much a groundbreaking creative output as, say, a brand new iPhone, but why is the iPhone considered to be technology while art is not? Finally, who really decides what is technology and what isn’t? Is it more influenced by the public, the marketers, or the manufacturers? Before I could even think of throwing a label on the term “technology”, I knew I would have to find the answers to these questions first in order to get to the bottom of this vastly deep subject.

I am not so interested in exactly what is considered to be technological as of today, but rather in why certain things are given that name. I believe that the question is not only significant in clearing up the subject and making sense of it, but that it may also raise awareness, sub-questions, and hopefully answers pertaining to the future of human society. Are certain advances in technology helping the overall human condition or gradually making things worse? Will there be a price to pay for our steadily increasing knowledge and understanding of science and the universe around us? I may seem to be taking a huge stretch at the possibility of consequences in the future, but I believe that this possibility has already begun to rear its ugly head (i.e. global warming, pollution, nuclear weapons), and that if we do not know exactly what our so-called technology is, we may lose sight of why it exists in the first place.