How scientific and technological advances change the lives of people
How did scientific and technological advances change the lives of people around the world at the beginning of the twentieth century?
Throughout history, each civilization, society, kingdom and empire has grown, risen and fallen with technology at its helm. Mesopotamia, the ancient so-called “cradle of civilization,” saw the ancient Sumerians invent most of the basic items (technologies) that are still used today, including ships, the wheel, irrigation systems, metallurgy, and one of the oldest written scripts. Technology affects every part of a society, kingdom or empire, and is based on the available math and science of a society, affecting each sub-facet of a civilization, including its:
Ancient technology, of which the oldest science, math and medicine is recorded in East, Southern and Northern Africa, such as Adam’s Calendar and the oldest math-based calculator, helped the ancient kingdoms to keep time, communicate numerical quantities, and helped them to govern their economies and grow in size. Technology also helped to shape agricultural practices, which helped ancient societies to thrive, and formed the backbone of the powerful economies of antiquity.
The invention of irrigation systems, architectural structures, the invention of glass, and the use of baked clay all played a part in the development of ancient cities and kingdoms.After the industrial revolution, these landmark inventions have evolved into mega cities, sky scrapers, and farms that feed millions today. Technology also played a part in the creation of empires in globalization and in ancient trade, as chariots, ships, and the ancient “Silk Road” all helped kingdoms trade, become wealthy and powerful, and to spread in influence, resulting in the conquering of kingdoms and the linking together of different civilizations.
Technology has even affected how the most basic essence of human communication – language – has developed. For instance, some ancient languages, such as the still-spoken Basque language, has root words for modern tools linked to the word “stone,” indicating its ancient, potentially stone-age origins. Though it is a language isolate, hypothetically, if such language changed the roots of English words, for instance, the invention of stone tools eons ago could potentially affect the spoken language of English today.
In fact, two of the most important examples of how technology helped change human societal behavior and perhaps evolution is the development of stone tools and the ability to harness fire. Both aided in the survival of early hunter societies that created the ancient behaviors that Homo sapiens are known for (the hunter-gatherer model before the development of agricultural societies), effectively changing the course of our evolution by even changing the genetics of whole societies (genetic flow).
From antiquity to now – from the Egyptian and Kushite empire, to the Aksumite and Chinese empire, to the Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian empires, to the Greek, Roman, Mali and British empires – all such advanced kingdoms grew into empires due to their strong economies (resulting from advanced technology), strong militaries (resulting from advanced technologies), and powerful communication/transportation abilities (resulting from advanced technologies). It could be said that history has been written by the invention and use of advanced technology.
Throughout human history and after the industrial revolution, humans changed from being hunter-gatherers to more sedentary creatures whose technology automates many tasks for them, resulting in more sedentary-based chronic illnesses and unhealthy diets, while also making life more convenient and “easier.” While in the ancient world it could take months to send a message from one end of the globe to the other – or to travel from one country to another – today, messages can be sent almost instantly via the Internet, and it is possible to travel around the world in a fraction of the time via airplanes.