The Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History Since 1900

Science News,  Feb 10, 2007  

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THE SHOCK OF THE OLD: Technology and Global History Since 1900 DAVID EDGERTON

The reigning view of technological innovation focuses on invention, constant progress, and novelty. In this book, historian Edgerton proposes a different perspective, that of the people who use, rather than create, technologies. He asserts that many cutting-edge advances in such fields as aviation and nuclear weapons, because of their limited utility, have been costly wastes of resources. On the other hand, smaller technologies, such as the development of contraceptives, have had significantly greater impacts. He describes many technological developments that have their genesis in the poorer echelons of society. The tools thus created, such as the spinning wheel, transformed production processes for maximum efficiency. Edgerton illustrates how the maintenance of older technologies often leads to innovation. Finally, he looks at the pursuit of novelty and the rise of inventive institutions such as Bayer, General Electric, and AT&T. Oxford, 2007, 270 p., b&w images, hardcover, $26.00.

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