Rudi Volti's Definition of Technology - Essay Example

Rudi Voltis Definition of Technology Technology, as defined by the historian Rudi Volti is “a system based on the application of knowledge, manifested in physical objects and organizational forms, for the attainment of specific goals” (Volti, 1995, 279). This definition though indicates attaining specific goal it has failed to elaborate upon the nature of specific goals and their purpose of attainment. Voltis theory signifies the application of knowledge, forms of organizations, physical objects and components that are vital for the total appreciation of the technology1. The efforts taken by the Assyrian King, Sennarcherib to bring together all the people who had the skills and knowledge of irrigation with the help of his organization skills for larger good of the mankind is an excellent example for the application knowledge through appropriate systems (Dalley and John , 2003,1). . The need based correspondence between knowledge, organizational forms and physical objects to develop innovations are evident from monarchial systems to the agricultural systems as explained in the Volts theory. Motivated by the urge to irrigate the agricultural fields, the farmer uses his skills to operate the water screw where both knowledge and the organization form is represented. In this case farmer represents the sole operator and the farm fields symbolizes the physical product .By describing how the interconnectedness between the application of knowledge, organizational forms and physical objects pertain to technical innovation Judaeus satisfactorily depicts Volti’s definition of technology. The methods for effective transfer of the information related to any technological component are the drawings .All the engineering drawings are considered to constitute a universal language uninfluenced by cultural and societal variations. It is expected that information contained in it need to be comprehensible to all. But the British policy makers had a different opinion to say. According to them even the engineering presentations like drawings and various visual matters were significantly influenced by "culture, values, institutions and social relations of creators and users" (Brown, 2000,1). The effect of the roles played by the drawings in improving the professionalizing the engineering activities are explained from examples from locomotive and car designs in Britain and America. Another reason that is identified for the better capacity in design drafting is the demand exerted by the markets in both Britain and United States. The need for custom based products with emphasis for individual needs is the prime reason for creation of such a demand. The literature available shows conversion of novel designs to drafting , the firms have reduced the risk of failure besides achieving better efficiency and order (Brown, 2000,1). This have helped in the mergence of newer drafting offices that supported the production process in different sectors. Also the regional variation in the technological development is also discussed in the literature. The American approach was by introduction of design elements that are standarized while the british counterparts often worked on design creativity that led to the product development that matched the customer demand. The philosophy here was to have high quality production with very low managerial cost (Brown, 2000,1). The spread of the technology was mostly due to the movement of people who had the information from one place to the other. It was mostly gained from the personal experience guarded by the individual interests. Thus the effective diffusion of technology is dependent on the movement and interaction with the people who possessed it rather than the wide publicizing of the literature related to it (Belfanti, 2004,1). Another important motivation for the increased mobility and assembling of skilled workforce was the institutional innovations proposed in the modern era. The State laws enacted by European countries proposed to "reward and safeguard" the inventions (Belfanti, 2004,1) . The awareness regarding the need for technical competence and creativity to foster successful industrial manufacturing entities forced the countries to implement appropriate regulations to promote and protect such information. Thus the policy of granting patents emerged. Another major intervention is the role played by Guild in accumulating, preserving and communicating or transferring the acquired technical knowledge to many European urban regions. People who failed to join or form the Guild kept the trade secretes within themselves. The masons or artisans in building sectors are those type of group and they traveled from one place to another and demonstrated their skills. This is obvious from the identical type of structures constructed at different places across he country or region. The easy access to raw materials, consistent demand for the products and also the favorable environmental climate are the factors that helped the manufacturing centres in the European regions to become established (Belfanti, 2004,1) . Precise identification of the technological inventor is a Herculean task as the advancement of technology often results from the continual accumulation of human experience (Dalley and John , 2003,1) 2.The accomplishment by the Bronze age Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures were given preferential treatment by the historians and Mesopotamian achievements were limited to the Sumerian writers. Thus the absence of effective exchange is the major problems for the study. Also, the Assyrian Kings considered it as the duty to enrich their kingdom with lot of beautiful buildings, great art and the engineering contributions that could supply water to city areas. Further, they had also mastered the fundamental principles of hydraulic engineering. The Assyrian King , Sennarcherib showed a more personal interests in engineering more than what his position required. Various engineering examples set up during the regime of Sennarcherib was construction of artificial marsh land which have been reinvented in the form of constructed wet land by the modern municipal engineers, design of automatic sluices, underground tunnel to supply fresh water etc (Dalley and John , 2003,1). The cultural aspect with the technological adoption was evident when the shift over from the bronzeworker to ironworker was achieved. The bronzeworker was mostly attached to the palace of kinds or temples where they had enjoyed a better position. Where as the ironworker was more a refugee or displaced person from a foreign place. Also, the ore of iron was more common and the articles did not have a large reuse potential as bronze delayed its acceptability to a very large extend. Bronze due to these advantages continues as the metal of choice for the coins or as a treasure piece (Dalley and John , 2003,1). The competition and the promotion of technology is attributed to the alternate forms of transportation. The importance for better traffic created incentives for putting up operationally efficient processes. Thus railroads were said to have explored innovative ways to push more volume of traffic without any significant rise in the capital expenditures (Usselman, 2009,1). Thus the economy of operations was considered in every stage of activities from the employee to the consumption of coal .The major changes that had undertaken in this period was the introduction of new materials for the railroad manufacture, the locomotive car manufacturers deciding on the improved car size and strain absorbing designs etc (Usselman, 2009,1). Thus as Voltes definition could be elaborated as when knowledge combined with organizational form often lead to a product which refers to any specific and clearly defined need. Rudi Voltis discourses on technology would certainly help to evaluate the technological interactions with the mankind. The specific influence that the technology would have on different social groups and organizational settings are also elucidated by Volti. The detailed introspection into the process technological evolution across different time period certainly reinforces the above hypothesis. The cultural influence on technology presented in the earlier sections justified the Voltis belief that technology is much more than an applied science. Further, the government funding or ruler support in the development and promotion of a technology has resulted in the skewed promotion of certain technological solutions resulting from the preferences of politically powerful groups. Thus Rudi Volti has tried to create his own system of discourse on technology rather than integrating the different techno-societal relationships - like feminist, Marxist etc. - existing today. References Belfanti, Carlo Marco. “Guilds, Patents, and the Circulation Of Technical Knowledge: Northern Italy during the Early Modern Age.” Technology and Culture, Vol. 45, No. 3 (July.,2004), 1-21. http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/technology_and_culture/v045/45.3belfanti.pdf (accessed September 24, 2009). Brown, John K. “Design Plans, Working Drawings, National Styles: Engineering Practices in Great Britain and the United States, 1775-1945.” Technology and Culture, Vol. 41, No. 2 (April,. 2000), 1-47. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25147498 (accessed September 24, 2009). Dalley, Stephanie and John Peter Oleson. “Sennacherib, Archimedes, and the Water Screw: The Context of Invention in the Ancient World.” Technology and Culture, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Jan., 2003), 1-26. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25148052 (accessed September 24, 2009). Usselman, Steven W. “Patents Purloined: Railroads, Inventors, and the Diffusion of Innovation in 19th-Century America.” Technology and Culture, Vol. 32, No. 4, Special Issue: Patents and Invention (Oct., 1991), 1-30. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3106161 (accessed September 24, 2009). Headrick, Daniel R. Technology: A World History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Humphrey,J.W., Oleson J.P. and Sherwood, A.N, "Greek and Roman Technology - A source Book", Routledge, London, 1998. Irwin, Ruth., "The Technology Environment: Subjectivity, Language, and Machine, International ", Journal of Technology and Design Education, Vol 12, No 2 (January 2005), 99 - 110, http://www.springerlink.com/content/l1322t35m44xpu73/ Volti, Rudi. , Society and Technological Change, 3rd edition, St. Martins Press, 1995 Read More