The Dynamics of Technology: Creation and Diffusion of Skills and Knowledge

by Roddam Narasimha (Editor)

`This is a good book for a general reader to understand the inter-relationship between science, technology and society and particularly the contribution made by engineers towards technology development′ - Technovation This volume, a collection of 10 essays by leading practitioners from both east and west, shows how technology, which has become a major force in our lives today, is itself like a powerful engine. The creation and maintenance of this engine depends on engineers, on ideas from science, research and development, on the pressures and constraints of the market place and national security, on the skills and knowledge of manpower and on the financial resources that banks, governments and other institutions can command and provide. This book does not expound any one point of view. Rather, it tries to understand how the engine of technology works, how it is a complex system whose working is shaped by political, economic, social and cultural forces and in turn shapes them.

276 pages, Hardcover

First published December 6, 2003

Reviews

[Prof Vinod Huria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interpreting the Miracles of Technology in the Contemporary Context

Prof Vinod Huria
Senior Principal Scientist (Superannuated)
CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute
Mysore, Karnataka, India



No book is ever complete or perfect, like any work of art or technology. But this book far exceeds the expectations of scholars of history and impact of science and technology. It attempts to find answers to questions such as: How is technology created and diffused? How does it work? What are the sources of its power - social, economic, cultural or political? All possible connotations of technology have featured in this volume to answer these questions. From this perspective, the book is a treatise on almost every aspect of technology; historical, cultural, economic, engineering, political, philosophical and religious.

The holistic view of technology is evident from the assertion made in the introduction, which reads ‘Technology is like a powerful engine, its creation and maintenance requires armies of engineers, ideas from science, research and development, the pressures and constraints of the market place and national security, the skills and tacit knowledge that reside in the technical and artisanal people, the knowledge built by and available to each nation or company, and the financial resources that banks, government and other institutions can command and provide’. The introductory chapter on ‘The Technology Engine: The Dynamics of Technology Creation and Diffusion’, written by the editors of the book, has adeptly interwoven the themes discussed by the authors of various chapters and beautifully prepares the reader on what to expect in the subsequent pages.

The book is a compilation of 10 essays, written by historians, scientists, engineers, economists and sociologists, who are leading practitioners and scholars from the East and West, providing a balanced insight into the nature of the powerful forces that drive the world of technology. The range of the subjects dealt with is diverse; material design and processing, energy and economics, ideas and idealism, engineering education and the survivability and transformation of cultures in the information technology era. The book begins by narrating the cultural factors that have influenced technology development, and comes full circle at the end by examining how technology can affect culture. Engineering is an integral component of technology and the engineering process as well as engineering education has been discussed at length. The editors concur that engineers have remained in the background because they are not very articulate about the social, economic and political concerns of technology as they are busy making the technology engine work smoothly, but they have spectacularly altered or created the world we live in.

It is important to grasp the concept of ‘total energy life cycle’, enunciated by Sir Hugh Ford, for shaping our future on designing, making and using products and services, in the context of finite and exhaustible energy resources. Ford elevates the entire energy issue to a philosophical level by stating ‘Today’s whole crazy edifice depends, not upon increasing our material wealth, but in destroying it after a relatively short life, in favour of something new in order to keep the edifice from tumbling’. The whole definition of wealth needs rethinking. Such statements of wisdom are numerous in the book, and they stimulate the thought process to arrive at a better understanding of the intricate issues that tend to become even more complex with technological advancements. The book maintains a delicate balance in treating historical contexts and theories in the right perspective.

The essay on ‘Ideas and Idealism in Technology’ by Arnold Pacey is particularly interesting. It delves into the fascinating relationship between inventors and entrepreneurs, and how ideas in science get transformed into practical applications through technology. The essay concludes that personal idealism drives ideas, which lead to innovations that feed industry, and consequent development. But since everything ultimately has a cost, economic conditions set the limits on how far technical ideals could be pursued privately. Idealistic impulses play a vital role, than is usually recognized, and the Eiffel Tower, Sir George Cayley’s gliders and the Wright Brothers’ airplanes stand out as glaring examples of private technologies driven by passion for invention.

This is rare book, simply fascinating, and keeps the reader captivated with the marvels, ideas and ideals of technology, stimulating his mind on the various nuances of technology. The book illustrates the many ways in which technology draws on the forces of nature in the form of science, society, culture, marketplace and finance, even as it inevitably transforms the world. Scholars, who have a passion for history and impact of science and technology, will repeatedly read the book from cover to cover, and derive the pleasure of unfolding of the knowledge that this book proffers. The book will be of immense utility to scholars of social and natural sciences, and professionals dealing with the engineering and technical aspects of technology. It will also appeal to the general reader, who stands to benefit from the narratives of professionals, who have acquired the skills and wisdom through years of practice and scholarship in their respective fields.