A Comparison of Three Perspectives on the Evolution of Technology (1)

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1 A Comparison of Three Perspectives on the Evolution of Technology Sherry Hogan

2 There are three distinctive theories on the evolution of technology. These three theories have impacted our understanding as to how technology has evolved over time and influenced our societies. Gerhard Lenski, Leslie White, and Alvin Toffler all have their own theories on the evolution of technology which we will review in this essay. Gerhard Lenski believed technology had a direct impact on the organization and structure of societies. According to Lenski: “technological progress and civilization are closely related. In fact, the key to human progress is information.” (Measuring Technological Progress, Lecture Note 8, https://courses.portal2learn.com ).. This makes information an important component in order to shift from one industrial level to the next. He believed a civilization with greater scientific improvements has greater chances of success then those without. Lenski classified societies into different types based on their technological advancements from hunting and gathering, horticultural, agrarian, and industrial societies. Lenski believed that the role of technology played a major part in shaping human societies and their progress. Leslie White, however, believed technology was the element of civilization that was in a constant state of evolution and change. Leslie believed society grew in correlation with the amount of hard work and determination collectively. White believed that the harder each person in the society worked the more developed the society would be, ( Elsherif, M. F. 2011) .According to Leslie, “culture evolves as the amount of energy per capita per year increases or as the efficiency of the means of putting this energy to work increases”( White,L. 1943). White believes that the correlation that exists between technology is forever shifting to create the ultimate cultural evolution.

3 Alvin Toffler believed that technology was defined in a wave that was a transformation happening in a short period of time within society.He identified these waves as the agrarian revolution, the industrial development, and postindustrial growth ( Wan Zakaria, W. F. A. 2012) .Each wave brings about changes in the way societies are organized and how they function that lead to new social structures and lifestyles. Toffler believes that the rapid acceleration of technological advancements in the information age has disrupted the traditional societal structures and created a state of “future shock.” This future shock is causing people to struggle to adapt to the change of pace due to the technology advancements. As you can see we can determine that even though their views were different, Lenski, White, and Toffler all agree that technology is the core of social development. They all agree that the need for advancement emerges from innovations brought on to solve social issues. References

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4 Elsherif, M. F. (2011). Adoption Categories In Communication Technologies: Factors That Influence A Person To Be A Late Or Early Adopter Of New Communication Technologies. MSc in Social Informatics and Interactive Technologies, 105. Wan Zakaria, W. F. A. (2012). Alvin Toffler: Knowledge Technology and Change in Future Society. International Journal of Islamic Thought, 1(1), 54–61 Measuring Technological Progress, Lecture note 8, https://courses.portal2learn.com/content , White, L,(1943) Energy and the Evolution of Culture, New Series, Vol 45, No 3 Part 1, pp 335-336

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