Making Sense of I.T. All

Let me preface this blog by saying that in spite of the site title "techillogical", I'm not some sort of "Luddite"; I love technology. More specifically, I love the study of technology, particularly from an historical perspective. Someone once said that only two things separate humans from the lower animals; technology and syntax. I tend to agree with that assessment (at least as a starting point).

Human history is essentially the documented record of the evolution (revolution[s]?) of technology. It's tempting to put "civilization" in place of "technology", but which came first, civilization or technology? What is civilization without technology? Is it even possible to separate the two? I argue that civilization is the child of technology, however simple that technology may have initially been.

Perhaps a good question to ask at this point is "What is civilization?" A good old dictionary definition is a great place to start. "Civilization", as defined by www.answers.com (the current, default definition link provided by Google) is:

1. An advanced state of intellectual, cultural, and material development in human society, marked by progress in the arts and sciences, the extensive use of record-keeping, including writing, and the appearance of complex political and social institutions.
2. The type of culture and society developed by a particular nation or region or in a particular epoch: Mayan civilization; the civilization of ancient Rome.
3. The act or process of civilizing or reaching a civilized state.
4. Cultural or intellectual refinement; good taste.
5. Modern society with its conveniences: returned to civilization after camping in the mountains.

After reading this definition, I wanted to define "society", which answer.com defines as :

1. 1. The totality of social relationships among humans.
   2. A group of humans broadly distinguished from other groups by mutual interests, participation in characteristic relationships, shared institutions, and a common culture.
   3. The institutions and culture of a distinct self-perpetuating group.
      

So, on the surface at least, it does appear possible to separate "society" (social relationships) from "civilization" (refinement of those social relationships). That refinement has always been through the discovery and use of technology.

The next question to enter my mind is "What is technology?" Again, answers.com:

1. 1. The application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives.
   2. The scientific method and material used to achieve a commercial or industrial objective.
2. Electronic or digital products and systems considered as a group: a store specializing in office technology.
3. Anthropology. The body of knowledge available to a society that is of use in fashioning implements, practicing manual arts and skills, and extracting or collecting materials.

If we are to consider technology in the historical context, I'd definitely stick with definition number 3. After all, "science" is a product of civilization and therefore can't precede itself. So then it appears that we have a working definition of technology that is non-scientific (at least, formally pre-scientific). Therefore, at its core, technology is knowledge that is applied to bring about change.