Historical tour of the key artifacts that represent the milestones in the human thought development produces a truly ample effect and memorable impressions. The Henry Ford Museum is one of such places, as it provides a virtual tour of the essential milestones in the evolution of the human thought and technology. Though the items to be compared in this essay, namely, the printing press and Edison’s electric pen, are seemingly unrelated to each other, the specified items represent a continuity of technological progress.
The works mentioned above, namely, the printing press and the pen, are entirely different in their form and function, yet they communicate similar ideas. The printing press is large and bulky, representing a contraption that perfectly reflects its time period, containing a sufficient amount of complexity while being built with the help of basic materials (“Ramage hand-lever printing press, circa 1809,” n.d). Specifically, the device reflects the emergence of technological progress while demonstrating the lack of sophistication in the choice of materials and the structure itself. Furthermore, the device itself is representative of the time period rife with emergent opportunities for an increase in literacy among general audiences, as well as for a rise in communication opportunities and information sharing between communities.
Similarly, Edison’s electric pen is quite representative of its time period since it points to an increase in the options for sharing information and transferring it effectively. Though the pen did not leave as much of legacy as the printing press did, it has still transformed people’s idea of how visual information can be copied and transferred to others, therefore, making it increasingly more available (“Edison electric pen, circa 1877,” n.d.). Moreover, the very invention of the pen signaled the advent of a new era and the turning of a new leaf in the history of the humankind. The specified point in time was marked by several crucial inventions and discoveries that would guide further scientific research and technological development. Therefore, though a seemingly minor addition to the range of inventions, the pen also symbolizes crucial change and, therefore, represents its time period properly.
Being representative of the essential cultural and technological milestones that the humankind has achieved, each of the art pieces in question can also be scrutinized from a philosophical perspective. For example, the image of the printing press might lead to asking whether the opportunity to print and sell books, which was once a tremendously important change, has retained its importance today, or whether the increased availability of digital books has devalued the role of their print versions. In turn, the pen created by Edison inspires a question of whether the opportunity to record an idea in any environment could contribute to an increase in the extent of creativity or whether the availability of tools and options stifles creative thought. To conduct research on the specified topics, one might consider consulting scholars’ opinions by reading the latest articles on the issue. For this purpose, keywords such as ‘digital technology,” “availability,” “impact creativity,” and similar search terms can be used.
Despite being seemingly unrelated, the hand-lever printing press and Erikson’s pen represent two crucial components of continuous technological progress. The items in question reflect their corresponding time periods perfectly, emphasizing the growing importance of information sharing, both on a public and a personal level. Furthermore, the increase in the influence of citizens’ individual contributions to the evolution of thought that the pen illustrates needs to be emphasized. Therefore, both the pen and the printing press deserve to be seen as crucial contributors to the massive change that was about to take place on a global level.
References
Ramage hand-lever printing press, circa 1809. (n.d.). The Henry Ford Museum. Web.
Edison electric pen, circa 1877. (n.d.). The Henry Ford Museum. Web.