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The roles of technology in Warfare
how does culture affect technology
The roles of technology in Warfare
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Human Culture and its Effects on Technology
A fluid border exists between the influences of culture and technology on the environment. Culture is generally defined as the predominating modes of thinking and behaving that characterize the workings of a group, while technology is the collection of knowledge available to a society that aids it in crafting tools, practicing arts and skills, and extracting or accumulating materials. In some instances, a people's culture drives its pursuit of more highly advanced technologies, while in other cases the implementation of newfound technology alters and shapes culture. These relationships are clearly visible throughout the course of human history. This paper focuses on the effects of early human culture on the progress of technological advances. Some cultural developments with significant impacts on human technology that are especially of note are religion, warfare, and the value system of wealth.
George Basalla writes that "necessity spurs on inventive effort" (6). Humans develop technology to meet their perceived needs, though need is a relative term. Technology may serve entirely different purposes within various groups of people, which indicates that it obtains its importance within a specific cultural framework (Basalla 12). Some cultures developed religion and brought it into their lives, which in turn yielded new technological innovation. Great intellectual leaps are also considered technology, and religion encouraged one of the most important: a system of writing. Writing is believed to have developed alongside religious practices, due to the necessity of timing rituals. This need brought the calendar into the world, as well as a new system of communication (Ehrlich 224). Writ...
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...an culture has proven itself to be highly influential in the progress of technology. From key aspects of early culture, including religion, war, and concepts of wealth, have stemmed great technological achievements that have forever altered the culture of today.
Works Cited:
Basalla, George. The Evolution of Technology. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
Chant, Colin. Pre-Industrial Cities and Technology. Routledge Press, 1999.
Ehrlich, Paul. Human Natures: Genes, Cultures, and the Human Prospect. Island Press, 2000.
Hirth, Kenneth. "Militarism and Social Organization at Xochicalco, Morelos." The Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica: A Reader, ed. Smith and Masso. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2000.
Ponting, Clive. A Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991.
MacNeish, Richard S. "Ancient Mesoamerican Civilization." SCIENCE. no. 3606 (1964). http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/dcgrove/mexarchreadings/ancient.pdf (accessed March 17, 2014).
Jared Diamond, author of the Pulitzer Prize Winning, National Best Selling book Guns, Germs and Steel, summarizes his book by saying the following: "History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples' environments, not because of biological differences among peoples themselves." Guns, Germs and Steel is historical literature that documents Jared Diamond's views on how the world as we know it developed. However, is his thesis that environmental factors contribute so greatly to the development of society and culture valid? Traditions & Encounters: A Brief Global History is the textbook used for this class and it poses several different accounts of how society and culture developed that differ from Diamond's claims. However, neither Diamond nor Traditions are incorrect. Each poses varying, yet true, accounts of the same historical events. Each text chose to analyze history in a different manner. Not without flaws, Jared Diamond makes many claims throughout his work, and provides numerous examples and evidence to support his theories. In this essay, I will summarize Jared Diamond's accounts of world history and evolution of culture, and compare and contrast it with what I have learned using the textbook for this class.
Ponting, Clive. Ch.11 from "A Green History of the World," St. Martins Press, NYC, 1991
Miller, Mary Ellen. The art of Mesoamerica: from Olmec to Aztec. 4th ed. London: Thames & Hudson, 2001.
The Ball Game of Mesoamerica. (n.d.). Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 2, 2014, from http://www.ancient.eu.com/article/604/
Keen, Benjamin. Latin American civilization: History and society, 1492 to the present. Boulder: Westview P, 1986.
Carmack, Robert, Janine Grasco, and Gary Gossen. The Legacy of Mesoamerica: History and Culture of a Native American Civilization. New York: Prentice Hall, 1996.
Fagan, Brian M. (2001) "Mesoamerican Civilizations." The Seventy Great Mysteries of the Ancient World: Unlocking the Secrets of past Civilizations. New York: Thames & Hudson, 491-509.
Technological Advances Shape American Culture Stay current with events that are happening worldwide in many ways. They watch the news on television, read the newspaper or go to news stations' websites. Looking back on the good old days, before television, cellular phones, and the Internet, life was simple. It is unbelievable how the little advances in technology since the late 1800s have shaped American culture. I remember 1948 well.
Culture has a huge impact on how you see the world. Did you know in some cultures it is rude to fill your own glass with water, yes you think that's weird because culture tells you it is weird. Also in some other cultures if someone hands you a business card you shouldn't put it in your pocket they find that rude just like you find it weird. I think culture has a tremendous affect on how we see the world everything you see that people portray weird isn't to other places. Culture has the biggest impact on how you see the world. Although people have valid points about other things being the main reason on how people see the world it is always traced back to culture what is telling you how to look at the world.
Populations and communities grew larger during this period of time and their complex organization became significant. New political, social, and economic systems emerged and became necessary. The growth of populations led to dramatic increase in the collective learning which was an essential step in advancing technology The extraordinary achievements in Technology and Intellectual innovation from religions such as Buddhism, empires such as Rome, and complex societies such as the Nile river valley, help us understand the advancements of humanity over long periods of time. The Intellectual advancements from 10,000 BCE to 500 CE not only helped shape our modern society, yet also help us make connections between ancient civilizations and Ideas.
As an amateur reporter for the school newspaper, I have had the opportunity to interview quite a variety of people on many different topics. One of my favorite questions to ask is, "What do you think has had the most influence on American culture?" Why do I like asking this particular question? The answer is simple: the variety and range of responses. While some answers are more interesting than others, I must say that I've learned quite a bit from all of them.
All technologies are shaped by their particular cultural context. Different physical environments and geographies create different needs that require solutions. A number of examples can be found in the Levant of the Middle East, where the first Mesopotamian civilizations developed. About 10,000 years ago, sedentary populations in this area started domesticating the native cereal p...
Culture has been a part of our society, and way of life, forever. It is almost impossible to come up with an idea that isn’t influenced by culture. As new technology is introduced into a society, the culture reacts in a positive or negative way and is thus changed forever. Despite the fact that we cannot really ignore that there are a number of ways in which technology negatively impacts our society, for the better part it has greatly helped to make lives better. It has also helped us a great deal to be able to save on many resources such as time and money and these are great benefits that cannot be ignored. It has also worked well in bringing unity into the world by turning it into a global village which has in turn helped people to more easily overcome their cultural, racial and continental barriers. Like we saw in the case of Ireland where technological advancements have shaped and molded the country into a completely new one that is better than the one it was before. Technology is made and used in such a variety of ways because many people who use the technology of today come from all walks of life and have different necessities, so to compensate for that technology must adapt to all different cultures. Consequently, as cultures change so does the technology they develop. Ultimately, advances in technology directly affect how cultures evolve, complex interactions are all the result of the dynamic and perpetual relationship between technology and
Ponting, Clive. A New Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations. New York: Penguin, 2007. Print.