THE TECHNOLOGICAL ENGINE 742 WORDS

Alvin Toffler (born October 4, 1928 in New York City) is an American writer and futurist. A former associate editor of Fortune magazine, his early work focused on technology and its impact. Then he moved to examining the reaction of and changes in society. His later focus has been on the increasing power of 21st century military hardware, weapons and technology proliferation.

            Toffler begins the essay with an introduction to what technology actually means today. He asserts that technology is no more machines only now-a-days. It includes techniques as well as the machines that may or may not be necessary to apply those techniques. The old symbols of technology have become out-dated and sometimes misleading as the advanced technological processes are carried out far from assembly line or open hearths, where silence and clean surroundings are a must. Toffler insists that technology is growing rapidly and in order to catch up with it all old meanings have to be changed. Then Toffler goes to say that the time gap between two new technologies is considerably reducing citing examples in the field of transportation. In 6000 BC the speed of transportation over long distances was 8 mph and until 1780’s the average speed was 10 mph. In 1825, when the first steam locomotive was introduced the speed was 13 mph and in 1880’s with the more advanced steam engine the maximum speed raised to 100 mph. In 1938 airplanes reached 400 mph and in 1960’s rockets reached a speed of 4000 mph. Analytically though, what took 50 years to increase the speed to 4 times, now took just 20 years to increase the speed to 10 times. This accelerative trend is clearly visible not only in the field of transportation, but also in all other fields of technology. Toffler quotes, the reason for this considerable reduction in time lag between two new technologies is that “technology feeds on itself”. He explains his point thus:  technological innovation consists of three stages linked together into a self-reinforcing cycle. First is the creative and feasible idea, second is its practical application and third is its diffusion through society.

            The diffusion of technology embodying the new idea in turn helps generate new creative ideas, hence closing the loop. With the closing of every loop a new creative idea is generated. This proves the fact that technology makes more technology possible. Initially there were delays between a creative idea and its practical application. For example the patent for typewriter was issued in 1714. But only after 150 years it was commercially available. There are no such delays today. It doesn’t mean that we are very active than our predecessors, but the reason is that we have in the meantime invented all sorts of social devices to speed up the process. Also if it takes less time to make a new idea practically possible it also takes less time to sweep through the society. Next there is a possibility of combination of technologies as can be readily seen in house-hold appliances. Some machines which were manually operated have become automatic now by such combinations. Toffler by this proves that new machines or techniques are seen not just as products but a source of fresh ideas. Indeed, each new combination may itself, be regarded as a new super-machine.

            Toffler then proceeds to make us realize that technological innovation is not just combining and recombining machines and techniques. There is something more. They suggest novel solutions to social, philosophical, or even our personal problems. They can bring a change in man’s intellectual environment i.e., they affect the way he thinks and looks at the world. We constantly study our environment either consciously or unconsciously and seek models to emulate. These models are derived not just from other people but also from machines and techniques. Toffler gives the examples of the clock and the computer. A study of clock reveals that our life is bound by time and a study of the computer enables us to learn our physiology, the way we learn, we remember, the way we make decisions. Both though have a psychological bearing in us, help us in our intellectual development. Likewise it has a bearing in every intellectual discipline from political science to family psychology. Toffler concludes by saying that if technology is to be regarded as a great engine, then knowledge must be regarded as its fuel. Thus richer and richer the fuel is, new the technology.