Technology has evolved over a long period. Many theories are used to explain the radical technological transformation over the past decades. Scientists and sociologists have designed and developed different techniques to measure the technological development process. This essay compares and contrasts the three major technological evolution theories, including Gerard Len ski’s theory, Leslie White’s theory, and Alvin Toffler’s theory. The three theory use different concepts and approaches to describe technological evolution.
Gerhard Lenski’s Technological Theory
Gerhard Lenski was a sociologist and use sociology concepts to discuss the technological development process. Lenski believed that technological development over a long period had been the major cause of the evolution of civilization. Lenski argued that technological advancement and civilization are directly correlated ( Chong et al, 2018) . Lenski noted that information is one of the key drivers of human civilization and technological advancement. Besides, Lenski’s outlines that the more human beings use human resources to satisfy their needs, the more human society advances. Gerhard Lenski described evolution theory using four stages of communication. The first stage is the passing of genes from one generation to another one. According to Gerhard Lenski, the stage is also known as the biological communication theory because it begins at simple progress and increases simultaneously. The second stage is the sentience or the ability to comprehend stage. In this stage, people can perceive and experience information sharing objectively. It is the begging of awareness development and understanding the real world. The stage is important because it helps understand and interpret nature. It stage is also crucial because it allows people to begin sharing life experiences. The third stage is another crucial step in technological development ( Chong et al, 2018) . The stage increases the human capability to apply logic, observation and facts based on life experiences. For example, if a person sees a cloudy sky, it is a sign of rainfall. The fourth stage is the master language stage involving applying skills such as writing, listening and using symbols appropriately. According to Gerhard Lenski, the last stage is the foundation of civilization. In summary, Gerhard Lenski suggested four main technological development levels. The first level is the hunter and gathering stage. It involves reducing insecurity between societies ( Chong et al, 2018) . The second proposal involves acquiring part of the food supply from growing fields. Subsequently, the third level involves organizing agricultural produce to increase the satisfaction of society members. As the food supply increases, social order also rises. As a result, technological advancement leads to social class inequality among community members. Gerhard Lenski’s last proposal was the industrial revolution.
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Leslie White’s Technological Theory
White’s theory is an anthropology concept focused on connecting, managing and controlling energy. According to Leslie, energy the primary factor that determines the purpose and functions of any culture. Therefore, controlling its energy can aid in managing human culture. Leslie White believed that human development involves five main stages. In the first, Leslie White argues that the main energy source is n human muscle power. He believes that human muscles and strength produces more energy ( Chong et al, 2018) . The second stage involves the use of domesticated animals to generate energy. According to Leslie White, people harness energy for domestic animal sources. The second stage describes how animals were used as the primary means of transport. The third stage involved agricultural evolution. Advanced technology was employed to increase the food supply. An increase in food supply due to the use of advanced technological advancement leads to food surplus. The fourth stage is the industrial revolution level involving harnessing the energy from natural resources. The main source of energy in this stage include natural gas and oil. Lastly, Leslie White notes the fifth stage involves the use of nuclear energy ( Chong et al, 2018) . Based on Leslie White’s belief, harness nuclear energy is the main source of natural energy. To help understand his evolution theory, Leslie White a formula that remains useful to date. P E x T. P measures energy consumed against the efficiency applied. E represents the energy consumed, while T determines the efficiency of technical factors used by the energy consumed. Leslie White’s theory is widely used due to the usefulness of the formula he designed to explain his arguments.
Alvin Toffler’s Technological Theory
Alvin Toffler used the journalism concept to describe technological advancements over the past decade. Alvin Toffler’s argument mainly based on social critic and futurist. The theory is linked with the postindustrial era, which involves technological advancement to improve public service delivery. According to Alvin Toffler, future shock is the most important that human beings should consider improving their quality of life. Besides, Alvin Toffler argued that human societies are undergoing rapid technological, structural changes due to the expansion of industries and agricultural activities. These technological changes imply that human being lives during an unprecedented era when many societal and industrial changes are reported without clear indications. Alvin Toffler described technological development using three stages. The first stage is the agrarian revolution stages (Yan et al, 2020) . It involves the invention of new agricultural methods during the Neolithic era to increase food production. The stage is known as the New Stone Age because it involves using old agricultural processes to increase food production and supply. The second was the industrial development stage. Alvin Toffler argues that the industrial revolution began in England due to technological advancement and rapid spread to other countries worldwide. Alvin’s second stage was the most significant in technological advancement because it discusses factors contributing to technological evolution. As a result, machines, tools and steam engine were discovered to increase efficiency in performing human activities. Alvin Toffler’s last technological advancement involved advanced technological changes that are currently used. The stage began towards the end of the 20th century. Alvin’s technological theory argues that this stage marked the beginning of using automated machinery in manufacturing to improve efficiency (Yan et al, 2020) . It also consists of developing robotics and computers to improve service delivery and the smooth running of organizational operations. According to Alvin’s theory, technological advancement has positively impacted the world’s economy because it increases agriculture and industrial operations efficiency.
Conclusion
In summary, all three theories attempt to describe technological evolution to help the public understand the changes involved in the process. Secondly, the three theories explain the technological process in the stage. For example, Gerhard Lenski’s technological theory used four stages, Leslie White’s technological theory used five stages, while Alvin Toffler’s theory involved three stages. Even though the concepts used in each was different, the ideas were closely related. Besides, all theories argue that technological evolution began from a simple method and developed gradually to become more complex and efficient to enhance human growth and development. On the other hand, the three theories used different approaches and schools of thoughts to describe the technological evolution process. For example, Gerhard Lenski used sociologist approaches to discuss technological evolution. Leslie White used an anthropologist school to explore technological changes and advancement in the world’s economy. Alvin Toffler applied journalism concepts and thoughts to discuss technological evolution during the postindustrial era. Alvin Toffler’s theory is considered the most significant because it described technological changes currently used in the world’s economies to improve efficiency and increase industrial productivity. Nevertheless, all three theories are useful in describing the technological evolution process because they help understand the industrial and agricultural changes involved. Therefore, it is imperative to incorporate all these theories to understand technological evolution better.
References
Chong, H. R., Hong, S. H., Lee, M. K., & Kwon, H. M. (2018). Quality Strategy in the Age of the 4th Industrial Revolution by Technological Evolution. Journal of the Korean Society for Quality Management , 46 (3), 483-496.
Yan, K. K., Wang, D., Xiong, K., & Gerstein, M. (2020). Comparing technological development and biological evolution from a network perspective. Cell systems , 10 (3), 219-222.
