W5 Reading

In twentieth century, machine technology start getting familiar with to the people. As machine technology was able to produce a mass of goods and services that help us in normal life. Thomas Edison or other technological enthusiasts wished to and tried to organize not only technology, but also turned the nontechnological world mechanistically. During the second industrial revolution in 1880, inventors and industrial research laboratories carried on invention, research, development and innovation. Things like telephone, electric light, airplane and etc got benefit by the electricity and the internal combustion engine, and followed by the new materials which are steel, aluminum, plastics, and reinforced concrete, and all these materials helps us in different field nowadays. Nonetheless subways and underground networks along with tall buildings gave the cities three dimensions that allowed us to mass in unprecedented numbers. Technological enthusiasm prevailed in the popular press during the second industrial revolution much as it does during today’s information revolution. However, especially in Germany, some intellectuals, social scientists and historians questioned popular technological enthusiasm and cast doubts about the social and cultural impact of technology. Oswald Spengler who is a German historian, associated machine technology with the decline of Western civilization. He argues that a cultural sea change occurred when humans began using technology to exploit nature, or in other word, began to distroy nature. Yet, his arguments are both insightful and irrational. In my opinion, machine technology brought us a better life, everything we are using today were produced by machine, may be in 19 century, there were some people who disagree with this technology, but undeniable, machine technology do bring us a high technology world.