Science and Technology Throughout History

Science and Technology Throughout History

Main Idea: Throughout the time period of the 1600's to after 1945, new science and technology has been seen as the way to make everyday life better.

1600's + 1700's

       During the 1600's, people were still very much controlled by the church. During this time, people began to present ideas that better explained life on earth, such as the heliocentric view. This new view on how the planetary system worked questioned the ideas of the church. This new view of the world changed how people viewed their importance to the universe. Before, people believed that the universe revolved around earth. Heliocentrism, suggested that the sun was the center of the universe and not humans.

For some, this distanced them from God because they believed that they were placed in the center of the universe in order to be close to God. Because of this, the idea of deism came into play. Deism is the belief that the universe is a mechanical system that has been put into place by God. This was a popular view because it was more rational, but still involved the religion that individuals were born into. Also during the Scientific Revolution, Sir Francis Bacon created what is known as the scientific method which was "a way to ask and answer specific questions by making observations and doing experiments" (Science Buddies). During the 1700's, the idea of enlightened despotism was created. This was the idea that leaders should promote science and education into everyday lives through the government. These methods can be seen through the policies of leaders like Catherine the Great (The West and the World). These ideas that came about in the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment made everyday life better because they enabled the people to think more rationally. As far as new inventions go, things such as the telescope, the steam engine, and the thermometer were first invented. These new inventions made everyday life in the 1600's and 1700's better. This can especially be seen through the telescope and the steam engine. The invention of the steam engine allowed for people to complete their jobs with more ease. The invention of the telescope allowed people to view the universe more easily because it allowed them to see things that were much further away (such as space).  Overall, these new inventions and scientific methods were important throughout the time period because they influenced people to question the religion that they grew up with and expanded people’s world view.    

1800's

      During the 1800's, the Industrial Revolution occurred. During this period, machines were created to make working in factories much easier and more efficient. These inventions changed the way that people worked forever. The factory method of production is still used today for most products whether it be cars or clothing. Two other very influential things were also invented during the 1800's. They are the telephone and the light bulb. These two inventions changed the way people communicated as well as the way we live in general. The telephone (along with the internet) is one thing that dominates everyday life because it enables humans to communicate  even if there is a large distance between them. Also, the light bulb, invented in 1879 by Thomas Edison, changed the way that people lived (Energy.gov). In the modern day, people would think that it would be crazy to live without lights. This invention made people’s lives more convenient because it provided light even when it was dark out.

1880-1945

In this time period, there were many new inventions that made people’s lives more convenient. These technologies include vaccines, movies, cars, tanks, and many more. Although vaccines were not first invented during this time period, Louis Pasteur’s rabies vaccine was one of the first to have an impact on human disease (The History of Vaccines). This new invention changed the lives of the people because it provided a way to treat diseases that worked fairly quickly. To this day, vaccines are used in both disease treatment and prevention. Because of this, people’s lives were changed for the better. Secondly, the invention of the car was also a very important creation that made people’s lives better. The Ford Model T, first produced in 1908, was the first mass production car that provided humans with a better way to travel (History Channel). 

The car provided people with a way to travel large distances faster than they were able to before.  During the Depression, people were trying to find new ways to take their minds off of everyday life. The invention of movies changed this. Movies were very popular during the depression because they were able to give people the relief that they wanted from everyday life. Along with these inventions, thinkers such as Freud and Einstein changed the way that people thought about science. Albert Einstein, born in 1879, was specifically known for his work on the the Special Theory of Relativity (Einstein). Einstein’s theories were key in the development of everyday things such as the television and some remote control devices (Einstein). Freud, born in 1856, was key in the development of psychoanalysis (Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Freud’s ideas were crucial in the development of therapy throughout history.

Post 1945

The post 1945 era brought some of the most influential things to life in our society. These inventions include the internet, and computers. The creation of the internet has drastically changed the way that humans communicate with one another. Instead of needing to talk to other people in person, humans now have the ability to talk with anyone, anywhere on the planet. The internet has also enabled us to access endless amounts of information without leaving your home. Along with the creation of the internet, the creation of the personal computer has gone hand in hand to be one of the most influential inventions in the past 20 years.

The discovery of the double helix, by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953, has changed the way we look at human biology (The Francis Crick Papers). With the discovery of the double helix, humans were given a better understanding of how the human body works. This discovery ultimately lead to the Human Genome Project which was the first attempt at decoding the human genome. The project began in 1990 and was completed for the first time in 2003 (Human Genome Project). This discovery project has been one of the most influential things throughout the history of mankind because with this discovery, we are able analyze any person’s DNA to find inconsistencies and possibly locate genetic disorders. This makes life better because you no longer need to live without knowing why you have a specific disorder. A very high percentage of the time, the disorder can be figured out by looking at a person’s genes.

The Future

I think that the future of this planet will be very dependent on the process of new science and technology. I believe this because within the end of our lifetime, we will need to find new ways to produce energy in order to sustain our current lifestyles. without these discoveries, we will run out of fossil fuels and will be required to give up lots of things that we take for granted in everyday life such as electronics and cars. As far as technology goes, I think that new technology will continue to be produced in order to make everyday life better. In the past 15 years, the amount of new technology that is coming out is growing exponentially. Most of these new inventions are things that are going to make our lives easier and in the long run, better.

Works Cited

“Albert Einstein.” Einstein. Corbis Corporation, 2012. Web. 10 June 2015. <http://einstein.biz/biography.php>.

“An Overview of The Human Genome Project.” National Human Genome Research Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2015. <http://www.genome.gov/12011238>.

“Sigmund Freud.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2015. <http://www.iep.utm.edu/freud/>.

Staff, History.com. “Model T.” The History Channel. A&E Networks, 2010. Web. 10 June 2015. <http://www.history.com/topics/model-t>.

“Steps of the Scientific Method.” ScienceBuddies. ScienceBuddies.org, n.d. Web. 10 June 2015. <http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_scientific_method.shtml>.

“Timelines-History of Vaccines.” The History of Vaccines. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2015. <http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/timelines/all>.

Wood, Daniel. “The History of the Lightbulb.” Energy.gov. Energy.gov, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 10 June 2015. <http://energy.gov/articles/history-light-bulb>.