Technology and Civilization

1. Out of the cage

What grants the possibility for humans to stand outside of the cage? Or in other words, what makes humans different from the rest of animals? Some people would say, "The biggest difference between humans and animals is that humans are driven by reason and logic. They can engage in intellectual activities."^[1] or "The essential difference between animals and humans is the ability to self-reflect."^[2] All of these features point to one conclusion.  It is the ability of abstract thinking or imagination to formulate today's human society.

With the power of imagination, humans created all kinds of gods and religions, produced philosophy, and invented laws and currency. No animal can imagine the number in a human bank account that can exchange food, the words engraved on clay tablets, the Ur-Nammu Law code, can regulate human activity^[3], or the conflicts between imaginary religions induced wars related to millions of people's lives. However, as a part of living beings in this world, humans' physical body constrains their unlimited imagination.

To achieve what they want beyond their bodies, humans developed technology. The maximum weight for an ordinary man to carry is about 20 kilogram. A horse can take 70 to 100-kilogram stuff. At the time humans succeeded in domesticating horses, our ability to carry things improved 4 to 5 times. One horsepower is the power for a horse to move at 1 inch per minute with 33,000 pounds. After Watt improved the steam engine, a steam engine boiler can continually provide 70 horsepower, which means 70 horses pull simultaneously.

Humans develop technology. In return, technology also shaped human civilization.

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Caesar and Napoleon were two great generals. It is hard to tell who had a better ability from a personal perspective. The thing we knew was that they lived in highly different periods. In the Napoleon age, people could build tons of Caesar's luxuries with steam engines. They could create mass death after the invention of guns and cannons. However, it doesn't mean Napoleon's ability was improved compared with Caser's, but Napoleon had to follow the rules at that period. The war game and social structure were changed by technology. Napoleon could not do anything but fit into it. Man's power is pointless facing the development of technology and society.

 As a result, in the interaction between technology and civilization, our past becomes history, and our future becomes unpredictable.

2.  Intellectual People and Businessman

Around 570 years ago, the printing machine was invented in Europe. This printing technology paved the way for the later Renaissance, which induced a significant change in European society. However, this technology itself was not the trigger for the Renaissance. As mentioned, it was the interaction between technology and civilization that created history.

Great Inventor, Failed Businessman

If it were not for the printing machine, a small figure like Johannes Gutenberg would not be recorded by historians. In 1439, Gutenberg found a couple of partners to start the business of polishing mirrors. At that age, people believed that mirrors could capture the remains' holy-light, and Aachen was preparing to host an exhibition of holy articles. It seemed to be an excellent opportunity for Gutenberg, who liked everyone, had a dream of becoming rich. However, his bad luck stopped his way to flourish. A flood went through Aachen, and a plague attacked Aachen after. The government had to delay the exhibition. As a result, Gutenburg's partners asked him for compensation, and Gutenburg promised them a secret technology return. Of course, for now, it is not a secret anymore.

In 1448, Gutenberg moved back to Mainz and borrowed 800 guilders from a local financier to build his dreamed printing empire.^[4] 

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The Gutenberg Bible was the most famous work out of his print factory, and it was also the most famous Bible in the world. The typography for this version of the Bible was exquisite and beautifully printed.^[5] In 1445, Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who became the later Pope Pius II, wrote a letter to the cardinal Juan de Carvajal after reading the Gutenberg Bible. He mentioned the Gutenberg Bible had such neat lettering that the cardinal could read the Bible without his glasses.^[6] However, probably due to the massive expense for printing the Gutenberg Bible and also the limited market for such a delicate version of the Bible, by 1456, Gutenberg's debts had already reached 2000 guilders, and he could not still pay the local financier. According to the court records, that financier eventually took Gutenberg's printing business, including that mysterious Gutenberg Bible.^[7] 

Until his 65 years, Archbishop von Nassau acknowledged Gutenberg's work and gave him the title Hofman. At the time Gutenberg invented printing technology, the concept of intellectual property did not exist yet. Most of the inventors at that age faced the same fate. The best inventors but failed businessmen. They could not gain any wealth out of their inventions, and their inventions could not help them with their life.

The Deal between Printing and Indulgences

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Indulgences were pieces of papers awarded by the Catholic Church as a remission of sin. People who purchased the indulgences could take them as proof of having the right to the forgiveness of sins. The indulgences business existed a long time ago. In the 15th century, this business began to flourish because of the Crusades needed for the battle towards Ottoman Empire, who marched to the Orthodox church's base, Constantinople.^[8] In 1476, Pope Sixtus IV declared that one could indeed gain an indulgence for someone in purgatory. In northern Germany, a Dominican friar, Johann Tetzel, even said, "When a penny in the coffer rings, / A soul from Purgatory springs." For Gutenberg's printing technology, indulgences were the perfect products because of the large quantity demanded by the church and the large proportion of indulgences made by words instead of images. However, Gutenberg himself missed that opportunity, and other factories caught it. In those factories, indulgences were the ideal products. They gathered with the church and formed a large interest group.

Wealthy people could use their money to get reborn and innocent like an infant. That money went to the pockets of churches and war. The indulgences used to erase sin enlarged the crime and evil. Ordinary people suffered too much. In return, new churches were built, and the war started. The money supporting our printing technology to survive today was made based on the suffering of those grass root people. Human history is not just plain words and sentences. It is made of blood and bodies, and technology is just a pitiless tool in this long history river.

3.  European Fortune Cookie

Needham's question is, Why had China and India been overtaken by the West in science and technology, despite their earlier successes?^[9] Apparently, "the West in science and technology" is pointing at the Industrial Revolution in Europe. However, this question seems general and vague. There were lots of countries that had a glorious history producing significant figures, but Europe stood out. Therefore, the appropriate question should be, "Why is Europe so special compared with other places to have the Industrial Revolution?" To answer this question, let us take a journey to the European Industrial revolution and see what happened there.

Demand and Supply

In 1733, the flying shuttle was invented by John Kay. It is a small part inside the loom, which is a device used to weave cloth. This diminutive component also marked the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

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The flying shuttle is just an upgrade to the traditional shuttle, but the efficiency was highly improved, and the improved efficiency boosted the textile industry's demand for yarn. The spinning industry had to enlarge its production, which resulted in the famous invention, Spinning jenny. Until the invention of  Spinning jenny, the Industrial Revolution in the textile industry had finished. The rest of the problems is power, which would be solved by the later invention, the steam engine.

We might wonder why all the early inventions during the Industrial Revolution were in the field of textile. For European, cotton is the product of great geographical discovery. Cotton was brought by Portugal from India and by Columbus from America at the same time. Cheap and comfortable cotton began to take over wool and flax's dominant place. The British wool industries association was afraid of this newcomer. They united the British government in publishing the Calico Acts, which banned the import of cotton textiles into England.^[10] However, this act did not protect wool, and English people began to grow domestic cotton. Therefore, the cotton textiles industry was mass-oriented from the beginning, unlike Newton's science revolution from the higher level to the ground. In the middle ages, people in the upper class were working on starting businesses and making money. The grass root people were focusing on practicing sophisticated skills to raise their family. As a result, it was the massive demand in the market, highly educated workers, and a bunch of innovation-friendly policies that made the industrial revolution possible.

The Victory for Steam Engine

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In 1712, under the instruction of Denis Papin, Thomas Newcomen invented the world's first fuel-burning engine. Although it was a great invention at that time, this engine was fixed on the ground, extremely inefficient, regular maintenance needed, and cost tons of fuel. As a result, there is only one perfect place for this first version of the engine. The coal plants. This engine did an ideal job of drawing water from underground. The underground minefield regularly came with a confidential water source, and flooding was a terrible accident in a coal mine. In a coal mine, the high-cost fuel would certainly not be a problem. Those coal mines saved Newcomen's invention, and engineers never stopped their steps on upgrading Newcomen's work.

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During 1763 and 1764, James Watt was repairing an engine at the University of Glasgow. He realized Newcomen's design had a significant problem of wasting energy, and he began to improve Newcomen's engine. At last, he presented us with the separate condenser, which lowered fuel cost by 50% compared with the latest version of the engine and 80% compared with the original Newcomen's engine. It was a massive step for humankind. Watt's improvement made it possible to apply the steam engine to many more places. From now on, the wheel of history began to spin, and the gate for the steam engine's age had opened for humans. Its unparalleled speed has permeated every aspect of human civilization.

The European Industrial Revolution was built on too many features. It seems lucky for Europe to have all these opportunities at once, but we surely should not forget European hard work. It is impossible for the current government to repeat European success again by focusing on which part of the industries or policies should be valued the most.

4.  Future and Beyond

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Technologies are invented and improved by people. Humans' life also is hugely influenced by technology. The beauty in this interaction is the balance between technology and civilization. Governments must urgently want to know the secret inside technology development. From all those technologies, we can clearly see the importance of the courage of innovation. Technology will develop in a place with an innovation-friendly environment.^[11]  At the time we solve the current problem, let us focus on our future.

The educators in our generation are always confused by the appropriate attitude towards technology. As mentioned, technology cannot be separated from people, and human civilization cannot develop without the help of technology. Education is a much more significant concept than teaching and learning. Education should be the existing generation welcoming the newcomers to this already existing world. Technology is an important part of this world, but still only a part of this world. Educators have to figure out the form for newcomers to fit into this digital world, but also not forget to write with pen and paper.^[12]

Human imagination empowered them with the ability to achieve almost everything. Remember, humans are the only species without wings but can roam through the sky, even escape from the constraint of gravity, and fly into space. Technology is indeed our great tool to explore what is out there beyond our physical bodies. It is also vital for us to remember as a living being on this planet, humans are the big brother for others, and life should always be the center of technology. This interaction between technology and civilization made this planet flourish and possible.

Work Cited