TECHNOLOGY: TECHNIQUE, SCIENCE, AND MACHINES

By :
Erwina Tri Astuti
1507042028

Nowadays technology is developing fast around the world. It technological development (hardware and software) affects our life. There is a relationship among technology, society, culture, organization, machines, technical operation, and technical phenomenon. Educators should understand the relationship because technology begins to affect teaching and learning facilities. For this reason educators are increasingly using technology in all aspects of their profession such as creating curricula, classroom instruction, work assignments.This trend can be enhanced by educating the educator about cultural and cognitive aspects of technology and technique, as well as the associated advantages and disadvantages related to educational and human development goals.

People use of technology involves not only machines (e.g., computer hardware) and instruments, but also includes structured relations with other humans, environment, and machines. In short, technology is more than a collection of machines and devices. To go beyond simplistic intuitions about technology requires investigation of the human mind and socio-cultural environment as well as interactions with technological artifacts. 

Ihde (“Philosophy of Technology,” 1993), constructed a definition of technology that consists of three concepts. First, technology must have some material elements. Secondly, technology must enter into some set of praxes—uses which humans may make of these components. Last, people must be included in the definition.We must focus on the relationships between the technologies and the humans who use, design, make, or modify them (İhde, p.47, 1993).

Greece technology was considered to be the study of knowledge and skills involved in specialized arts (i.e. technologia), technology and associated techniques have now permeated human culture, experience, and cognition. Nonetheless, understanding the impacts of technology and its relationship to human learning is an important factor in pursuing liberal ideals associated with a fully functioning educational system.This superficial view of technology and technique inhibits understanding major determinants of human thinking, learning, and culture. Relationships between technique (skillful thought and behavior), science (systematic knowledge), and machines were studied at least as far back as the classic Greek philosophies. 

In the context of early modern science, an experiment: 1) used technological tools, and 2) was performed in a situation in which the natural phenomenon was controlled or put under certain constraints (Ihde, 1993). This scientific curiosity and manipulation of the environment produced technologies which can be conceived of as products of science (Fellows 1995). Thus technologies, technique, and associated products are often viewed as essentially scientific—in the sense that they are divorced from any human-oriented or socio-cultural values. 

The connection between machines and technology reflects the fact that without machines, normal/everyday connotations of the word “technical” would not exist. Nonetheless, Ellul (1964) asserts that techniques (i.e., methods for applying technical knowledge) have now become almost completely independent of machines, which lag far behind humanity’s ability to implement and utilize systematic bodies of knowledge. Obviously, many techniques involving our use of systematic knowledge are implemented outside the scientific and industrial use of machines (e.g., advertising techniques, self-help techniques, negotiation techniques, and so on).In short, machines are now the result of technical knowledge rather than determining it. Not only are machines representative of a particular type of technical methodology, but the social and economic applications of machines are made possible by the advantages of various other types of technical methodology. Fellows, 1995 said that technology can be viewed as comprising heterogeneous bodies of knowledge and techniques by which, in addition to devices, man progressively masters his natural environment.

References:

Cottrell, William F. (1972). Technology, Man, and Progress. Charles E. Merill Publishing, Columbus Ohio. Ellul, Jacques. (1964). 

The Technological Society. Vintage Books, New York. Fellows, Roger. (1995). Philosophy and Technology. Cambridge University Press, New York. Ihde, Don. (1993). Philosophy of Technology. Paragon House, New York. Merriam Webster’s 11th College Dictionary. 

Nichols, Randall. (1987). An alternative belief: negative aspects of educational technology. Paper presented at the annual convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Atlanta. 

Teich, Albert. (1977). Technology and Man’s Future. St. Martin’s Press, New York. (This article was published in EJER JOURNAL. It is reprinted with the permission of EJER)