Technology: The forgotten science

The purpose of this article is to promote the more effective use of technology, not only at the level of technological detail, but also at the level of corporate guidance and national policy. Only a small minority of technology professionals and engineers are mindful today of the true origins of the technology concept. Technology was originally conceived as a body of knowledge organized into a scientific discipline that described purposeful action in industry. Technology management and policy are of the most challenging tasks facing specialists and engineers. This article suggests a new key for grasping technology. New, because the key that defined the science in the first place has been irretrievably lost. The situation is reminiscent of the story of the tower of Babel. According to this narrative a group of builders came together to construct a tower that would reach to the sky. They wished to interact with the master of the universe. The master feared this possibility and decided to interrupt progress. He noted that for a group acting as one people with one language, virtually anything was attainable. His solution: introduce multiple languages so that the builders could not effectively communicate. Confusion set in. The project could not be completed. A similar state of confusion exists in the world of technology today. Different parts of technological knowledge exist independently and side by side- without a unifying key to explain mutual relationships and shared impact. To find a new key it is useful to trace how the original came into being, how it became popular, how it guided technological evolution, and, eventually, how it was lost. It is a little known and fascinating history.