Technologies can hardly be defined as merely tools; instead, they can be evaluated on their own merits, as the indicators of the progress of the civilization and the measure of people’s possibilities in terms of science and progress.
Despite the fact that, for the most part, technologies are supposed to be used as a tool for acquiring certain information or getting a specific result, they can also be introduced as a measure of progress, seeing how these technologies evolved over time. Indeed, it is noteworthy that over time, different tools have been used for the same purposes; for example, to distribute information on long distances, people used first pigeon service, then postal service, then phones; now people use Internet for this purpose.
Thus, technologies show how the humankind has evolved and can be considered a means to define the current stage of development. That being said, it would be wrong to assume that the only relation between technology and science can be defined as the one between theory and tools. Instead, technology is related to science as a measure of progress.
Making mistakes is an integral part of being human. To try new experiences and realize whether the theories that have been constructed in the process work, people have to take certain steps, which not always result in success. Therefore, failure is an inevitable and nonetheless important part of growth. However, making mistakes without learning from them does not lead to efficient growth; instead, it triggers even more problems.
Thus, it is crucial to learn to analyze the past mistakes, as well as the steps that triggered them. Once learning the factors that predetermined the failure, along with the point at which a mistake was made, one can drive important lessons even from the most deplorable experiences in human history. Related to technology, such experiences include the use of nuclear weapons in the WWII – or, to be more exact, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It would be wrong to call the invention of a nuclear bomb a mistake, though; to be able to define their moral dimensions, people have to know what is wrong and what is right, which means that people must not hide from the issues that are traditionally considered wrong. Instead, it is important to be able to define the point at which technology stops serving humankind and starts being used against it.
One of the most fascinating things about technology is that it affects not only science, but also a number of other fields, including economy, politics, and finances.
In a way, technology defines the way in which these fields evolve. With regard to economy, technology can be considered a powerful means to boost growth and provide the means to evolve. For instance, the concept of solar energy, which might soon become a part of everyday reality, is bound to shape economy considerably, seeing how it will reinvent the transportation system.
With the use of solar energy, the need in petrol is going to drop, which means that the current oil tycoons are going to be out of business. Thus, major oil companies will lose their control over the transportation market; as a result, the redivision of the world market is most likely to happen, with the re-definition of the companies that have the major influence on the world market.