TECHNOLOGY AND THE EVOLUTION

OF HUMAN SOCIETY
Group 7
OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the topic, the readers are expected to;
1. Describe how human society has evolved through time.
2. Classify the various technologies.
3. Explain how technologies can be replaced and passed on from
individual to individual.
4. Explain how science and technology serve as keys in the economic
development of the country.
 Evolution of Human Society
The evolution of human society has different stages. The primitive of all the
societies is the hunter-gatherer society whose members depended solely on the
resources available in nature. They used tools which they made themselves such as
stones, wood bone and ivory. People then became shifters and farmers after they
learned how to tame animals and grow crops. They also learned the process of
mining using metallic hand tools. The stage when people have discovered coal, gas
and oil which they used in cooking is the manufacturing stage. This opened the door
to industrialization. The last stage of human society is the future man-made world
where technologies are eventually used for producing synthetic food and for
recycling resources to satisfy the increasing human needs resulting from the
constantly increasing human population (Johnson & Earl, 2000).
Classification of Society According to Toffler

Alvin Toffler is an American writer and futurologist who focused his writings
on technology expansion and its impact on the society which he called
information overload (Zakaria, 2001). In his book entitled “Third Wave”, he
classified societies based on the concept of waves where each wave propels the
older societies and culture aside. The first wave society is the one that replaced
the hunters and gatherers-society after the agrarian revolution. The second wave
society is the period of industrial revolution until the end of World War II. The
third wave society was described as the post-industrialized society after the
World War II where people used modern technologies based on the advent of
science including computers, robotics and the like.
Classification of Society According to Process

1. Energy technology
This technology involves processes that could create or generate, convert and
distribute energy with the main purpose of yielding high efficiency without causing
negative effects to human and environment. Examples include oil coal, wind water,
geothermal, hydroelectric, nuclear fusion and solar energy (Turkenberg,2001).

2. Equipment technology
This technology involves the design, fabrication and invention of instruments,
tools, gadgets, and machines. Some examples of this technology are motor, engines,
plow, mills, spinning wheels, robots, fermenters, laser, and computer-controlled
machines (Abastillas, 2006).
3. Information technology
This technology is primarily concerned with tools and gadgets including
computer systems and their applications to manage, process and distribute information
(Daintith, 2009). Information technology also includes typewriter, books, newspaper,
television, telephone, cellphone, radio, printer, and laser (Blackhurst, 2001; Ramey,
2013; Chandler & Munday, 2012).

4. Life technology
The main purpose of this type of technology is to make technological
advancements. These technologies benefit human race in terms of health and food
security (Springham et al., 1999). These are made primarily for preservation,
maintenance, treatment and reproduction of living things. These include traditional and
modern technologies in animal breeding, herbal medicines, surgery, vaccine, antibiotics,
artificial and organ transplant, and genetic engineering (Emerging Technologies to
Benefit Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, 2009; Blackhurst, 2001).
5. Material technology
This technology is concerned with extraction, fabrications and synthesis of
materials specifically for the benefit of mankind. Examples are steel, plastics, brass ,
iron, copper, ceramics, aluminiums, polymers and synthetic (Department of
Materials, Science and Engineering, Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology).
Technologies keep on changing and these
changes are through (Schilling, 2009):
1. Substitution
Substitution happens when technologies which may have been used for a long period
of time are replaced by the new and better version specifically with respect to the performance
(Boar, 1998). A good example of this is the replacement of the stereo type radio with cassette
tape recorder, then with component, Video Home System (VHS), and finally with Digital
Versatile Disc (DVD).
2. Diffusion
Diffusion happens when technologies are being adopted by individuals even after
innovations come. The more individuals adopted the technology innovation, the greater is the
measure of diffusion process. The neighbourhood could affect diffusion technology in such a
way that adoption increases if the technology is just within the reach of the individual. If
technology has been adopted, individuals could be informed and eventually could communicate
because of the interaction between and among them (Boar, 1998).
 National Development through Science and
Technology
Science and technology are instruments of a country’s rapid development and
economic stability. Success of a nation depends on the strict implementation of
programs based on science and technology. A nation which does not prosper on these
grounds would never be able to sustain the lives of its people and may have to solely
depend on other nations for their basic requirements (Chetty, 2012).
Each sector of society has benefited much on science and technology.
Transportation , Communication , medical fields, infrastructure, electricity, and
industry have equipment to be used for modern day people. Life has become easier
with the discovery of several tools and gadgets.
 Developed countries such as Russia, Japan, Brazil , Chine and India have a
strong foundation of science and technology (Sunami et al., 2013). The World Bank
estimated that seven of the ten largest economies of the world by 2020 would be in
Asia, China, Japan, India, Thailand , Indonesia , South Korea, and Taiwan. These
countries then , have a little advancement or no advancement at all in science and
technology but when this was introduced, a boom was evident even across the globe
(Jorgensen & Vu, 2018).
Life has become easier and better through science and technology especially
when it comes to medical development. Aside from this, a lift in education,
communication, agriculture, industry, etc. has contributed much in the elevated
economic output in the 20th century. But despite the advent of the technologies,
problems on hunger , pollution, poverty and illiteracy still prevail.
 National Development Indicators (Abastillas, 2003, World
Development Indicators, 2016)
The following indicators are usually used to measure national development.
1. Gross domestic product (GDP). It is the measure either of all the income earned
within the country or all the expenditures within the country. The money spent by
the consumers in buying several products, and those invested by business
establishment, and government investments contribute to a country’s GDP
(Amadeo, 2018).
2. Per capita income. It is the average income earned by a person in a particular
city, region or country. It is a way of measuring the economic status and the
quality of life in different areas. It can computed by dividing the country’s
national income by its population (World Development Indicators, 2016).
3. Income distribution. This is the measure of how the total gross domestic
product of the country is equally distributed among its members/people
(O’Sullivan & Sheffrin, 2003). This could tell us the distribution of the
individuals who can be considered rich or poor (Cowell, 2007; Foster et al.,
2010).
4. Growth rate of gross national product (GNP). This refers to the increase in the
country’s total economic activity. GNP is the sum of all the goods and services
produced in a country per year by its people . It uses the GNP , plus the income of
people working overseas minus the income paid to foreign citizens and the entities
(Daly, 1996).
5. Percentage of employment. This is defined as the employment rate or the measure
at which all the available labor resources are being utilized. It is computed as the ratio
of the employed to the working age population. Above seventy percent is considered a
high percentage value while below 50 percent is somehow a long ratio. The ratio of
employment of the population is usually higher for men than in women (Bureau of
Labor Statistics).
6. Structure of labor force. It is the sum total of all the men and women who are
able to work, be employed or unemployed (Larson, 2006). The age structure of the
country basiclly determines the labor or the work force.
7. Human life expectancy. It refers to the average numbers of years an individual or
a group of people could be expected to live. It is usually recorded as the person’s life
span from birth (Shryok et al., 1973).
8. Percentage of urban population. This is defined as the percentage of people or
density of people living in urbanized area not depending upon agricultural products
and other government services (World Development Indicators, 2016).