Does technology shape society or does society shape technology?

[Eska]

What's your take and why?

 

[her209]

I'd its its the former and not the latter.

 

[giantpinkbunnyhead]

Good question. I'm not a philosophy person but it seems to me that both occur. I think society invents a technology after getting an idea of what would be nice to have, so society engineers the technology (shapes it) to meet that end. Once it's available... society then adapts to take advantage of it.

 

[SagaLore]

Its like most other things when "progress" happens.

A minority of people shape technology which shapes a majority of people.

This also applies to anything else in society - law, art, music, clothing, etc.

 

[Ultralight]

I don't think it is an either/or but a both/and.

 

[Fritzo]

It's both. Inventions are sparked by the need to do something, and when that need is fulfilled, society changes it's behavior due to a problem being solved.

Sometimes a new way of doing something is thought of, and society picks it up because of the novelty.

There are countless examples of both situations.

 

[Horus]

You're asking if nessesity is the mother of invention, or invention the mother of nessesity?

It's both. Look at the cellular phone and the car. The car especially. How many things came from the invention of the car? Let's take a look.

Car
Roads
Road laws
Licencing
gasoline refinement
rubber tires
car insurance
etc...

 

[Rastus]

When man first started making tools, it changed society. That changed society started making new tools.

 

[So]

Originally posted by: Ultralight
I don't think it is an either/or but a both/and.

Exactly.

 

[everman]

Man creates tools, tools change man who makes new tools which change man....