Modern society involves the transition of a new era: the transition is partly brought out through the use of cultural tradition, and through the production of new ideas and the invention of new techniques. The latter may be appropriated and adapted from outside a given culture in addition to what can be acquired from within the culture itself by way of exercise of the academic, evaluative, and adaptive capacities.
A sustained interest in science is important for at least two reasons. It would provide an stable base for a real technological evolution at a time in the history of the world when the dynamic connections between science and technology have been recognized and made the basis of equal attention to both: technology has become science-based, while science has become technology-directed. The second reason, relative to the first, is that the application of science to technology will help improve traditional technologies.
Ideally, technology, as a cultural product, should take its rise from the culture of a people if it is to be accessible to a large number of the population. For this reason, one approach to creating modern technology in Africa, as elsewhere, is to improve existing traditional technologies whose development seem to have been underdeveloped in the traditional setting because of their very weak scientific base.
Traditional technologies have certain characteristics that must be featured in the approach of developing modern technology in Africa. Traditional technologies are usually simple, not highly specialized technologies: this means that large numbers of people can participate in the use of technologies, as well as contribute to their development; but it also promotes local technological awareness. The...
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...can be resolved; however, if we assume that there will be original technological capacities, regardless the minimum kind, that would therefore need to be nurtured, developed, and augmented to some level of sophistication required in operating a modern technology. The assumptions also presuppose that the transferred technology, developed in a specific cultural environment that is different in many ways from that of a developing country, it is easily adaptable to the social and cultural environment of the developing country (Etzioni Amitai.1993).
Works Cited
Dalfovo A. T., et al. The Foundations of Social Life: Ugandan Philosophical Studies. Vol. 1. Washington, D.C.: Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, 1992.
Etzioni Amitai. The Spirit of Community. The Reinvention of American Society. New York: Simon and Schuster, a Touchstone Book, 1993.
When it comes to technology, Africa has almost everything the rest of the world does. Although we may be slightly behind, technology is fast growing on the continent. For instance, Africa is the fastest region when it comes to mobile growth. It is estimated that over 67% of the population on the continent have mobile phones, and 27% have a device that can access the internet. Simply put, 27% of the total population of Africa has mini computers at their disposal! Africa is not only thriving on mobile technology and internet, but also other forms of technology that contributed immensely to the day-to-day life on the
Mazrui, Ali A. "The Re-Invention of Africa: Edward Said, V. Y. Mudimbe, and Beyond." Research in African Literatures 36, no. 3 (Autumn 2005): 68-82.
deep into the heart of Africa where a timeless culture was born and should be
In summary, Davidson successful traces Africa’s earliest origins and demonstrates that this is a civilization far from having no arts, technology, sophistication and unique culture. Culture and civilization as we know it today can be traced back to Africa, and modern science has verified the early perceptions of Europeans to be wrong. He provides more than adequate evidence of Africa having a history complete with vast and rich civilization, including archaeological finds and specialized interviews with distinguished scholars and philosophers. Despite the fact that society possesses a more positive attitude towards African civilization today in terms of recognition, equality, and acceptance than in the past, negative stereotypes are still acknowledged and modern day racism unfortunately exists. I believe that the existence of Davidson’s work and videos such as Different but Equal are crucial to challenging these stereotypes and discrimination in order to create a more accurate image of Africa and its history. Overall, Davidson proves that the continent of Africa is home to a history that is just as meaningful, comprehensive, and progressive as that of any other civilization in the
“Machines as the measure of men: Science, technology, and ideologies of western dominance” written by Michael Adas in 1989 revealed the Europeans’ perceptions on non-western people and cultures as well as how Europeans interacted towards Asians and Africans by making a comparison with their superiority in scientific and technological knowledge. The author discussed the key indicator of human progress in Chapter 3: “Global Hegemony and the Rise of Technology as the Main Measure of Human Achievement”, by representing the experiences of European explores and observers in Africa, India and China. I would like to discuss Michael Adas’s demonstration on the key indicator of human progress and how his argument affects the international development projects.
During the nineteenth century two major events stand out in connection to technology. First the progress and power of industrial technology, second the domination and exploitation of Africa and Asia by Europeans. In the book The Tools of Empire, Headrick the author connects theses factors through many examples in history. Leading into the twentieth century even though many would like to fast forward into the dawn of electronics, there is still a major focus on technology in Africa and Asia. However, the transfer of technology is now steering away from dominating and leaning towards local adaptation.
...’s depictions of both traditional and modern beliefs in varying degrees illustrate the importance of both in contemporary Nigerian culture, as well as the greater Africa as a whole, and how both are intertwined and cannot exist without the other. In effect, she skillfully subverts stereotypes or single perceptions of Africa as backward and traditional, proving instead, the multifaceted culture of Africa. She further illustrates that neither traditional African nor western culture is necessarily detrimental. It is the stark contrast of the fundamental cultures that inevitably leads to clashes and disagreements. In the end, what holds African countries such as Nigeria together is their shared pride. Modern, western influences can bring positive changes to society, but new cultures cannot completely eradicate the foundational cultures to which a society is founded on.
Scientific, as a culture, can provide value in understanding the cultural, ideological, intellectual and aesthetic aspects. "We often think of science as something inescapably linked to progress, and of progress as continually marching forward. We assume that there is something inevitable about the increase of knowledge and the benefits this knowledge brings" (Irvine & Russell). Provide humanity with wisdom and speculative enjoyment. This enjoyment of the public is through reading, learning and thinking obtained. But scientists are met from the real research work. The development of scientific and technology, which are also, depend on culture and education progress. Educations have a cultural and technological knowledge and imparted training of personnel functions. Education is to promote the development of science and technology that is an important social factor. At the same time, advances in science and technology is an important factor in promoting cultural development, the use of modern information technology, the collection, transfer, storage means and methods of cultural resources has been a fundamental change, which greatly promoted the cultural transmission, inheritance and development. In a sense, science is a great adventure, is a stimulating and exciting career filled. It is made the human thirst for knowledge and curiosity satisfied, and so that people further
Technology in all of its forms, and in recent times with its rapid improvement and advancement, seems to push itself upon us and our culture, and the same can be said for the rest of the world. Cultures that have never been exposed to technology are now using it in small forms, or have adapted to it quite fondly. These cultures realize the supposed importance of technology in their lives, or may enjoy the simplicity of a new tool that frees up spare time and can get objectives accomplished faster and possibly in a better way than previous endeavors.
Throughout the centuries Africa has been a continent of agricultural achievement and plenty. Agrarian practices and technologies developed in Africa were emulated by the world’s great civilizations and radiated to every corner of the world. It’s speculated by many naturalist (most notably Charles R. Darwin) that modern agriculture originated in Africa. Ancient cave paintings discovered by archeologist in Africa are certainly some of the earliest evidences of plant and animal domestication. Arabic and European historical accounts agree that African diets were varied and abundant from the beginning of recorded history up until the middle ages. The African continent is rich with natural and intellectual resources. Northern Africa has rich oil deposits that, once discovered, have made billions of dollars. Sub-Sahara Africa is rich with deposits of precious minerals such as gold and diamonds. Throughout much of history Africa has been thought of as a rich land. But the Africa we know today as being plagued by famine, poverty and war came about at a much later date. These tragic circumstances could have been partly caused by the massive economic dislocation caused by the slave trade and colonization of the 19th and 20th century (Hopkins 13). Colonial powers representing outside interest setup “extractive institutions” across Africa. These “Extractive Institutions” refer to those entities that exist for the sole purpose of pull resources out of a country. Now that many of the colonialist powers have left, these “European-style institutions” still exist well into the turn of the century.
It has been suggested that African precolonial societies have had mining and metallurgy being of little significance to them. This essay will discuss how mining and metallurgy played a major significance in African pre-industrial societies. This will be done by looking at historical references and archaeological findings subjected to: how metal production was organised focusing on African livelihood, believes and rituals; the evaluation of the role played by metals in agriculture and hunting, political development and the economy. Under agriculture and hunting, it will be discussed as to how metal work increased yield and also led to advanced hunting tools. In political development emphasis will be placed on societal stratification and the
Adas, Michael. 1989. “Africa: Primitive Tools and the Savage Mind” In Machines as the Measure of Men: Science, Technology and Ideologies of Western Dominance, from Historical Problems of Imperial Africa. Edited by Robert O. Collins and James M. Burns, 30-39. Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers.
There is no doubt that European colonialism has left a grave impact on Africa. Many of Africa’s current and recent issues can trace their roots back to the poor decisions made during the European colonial era. Some good has resulted however, like modern medicine, education, and infrastructure. Africa’s history and culture have also been transformed. It will take many years for the scars left by colonization to fade, but some things may never truly disappear. The fate of the continent may be unclear, but its past provides us with information on why the present is the way it is.
The majority of the continent of Africa has not been as economically progressive as the other continents in today’s world. However, over the past few years, it has been rapidly growing. Although there have been multiple countries in Africa that have reflected a strong growing economy, such as South Africa and Botswana, there are many other countries that are still corrupt and are still struggling to grow as a nation. There are many challenges that are facing Africa currently. Some of these major challenges being, corrupt governments, vicious cycles of aid, and poverty traps. However, among these challenges, there still lies to be great opportunities for Africa within their technology and business sectors.
This paper discusses the relationship between technology and society. It focuses on how technology has influenced various aspects of the society. The areas looked are: how technology has affected the communication, transportation, education, health, economic activities, environment, food production, food conservation and preservation and food distribution. It has gone further to explain how technology has radically changed the demographic structure of the societies in question, specifically Japan society. In addition, it has discussed how technology has influenced government policy formulation.