Medieval Technology
Choose two of the historical resources (not the articles defining technological determinism & social constructivism) from the Required Learning Materials that interest you and then do the following:
Put full citations for both of the resources in MLA format at the top of your post.
For each resource, explain whether it takes the approach of social constructivism or technological determinism? Or is there a combination of both approaches? How do you know this? What specifics from each resource give you hints about its approach?
Determine which resource you think is most successful with its approach and explain why.
https://leocontent.umgc.edu/content/umuc/tus/humn/humn344/2232/week-2/medieval-technology.html
Sample Solution
The two historical resources that interest me are the articles “Medieval Technology and Social Change” by Lynn White (1962) and “Technology, Learning, and the Human Condition” by David Beer (2001).
White`s article takes a more technologically deterministic approach as he posits that certain innovations such as the development of efficient windmills for milling food grains had a profound impact on medieval society. He states this technology was adopted quickly because it allowed farmers to become more productive thus leading to greater population growth which in turn caused an increase in regional wealth fostering an overall sense of progress during this period (White 1962). These assertions indicate his belief in an environment where technologies play a major role in shaping human interactions hence implying there is no room for individuals to modify how they use these tools according to their specific circumstances.
Meanwhile, Beer`s article adopts a more socially constructivist view wherein he argues that technology does not determine our behavior but rather it is shaped by us. He claims that how we interact with these tools is determined by our culture which in turn affects how we learn from them (Beer 2001). For instance, he notes how different communities have different expectations of what a successful online learning experience should be such as whether or not people should take part in discussions or if lectures are mostly one-way conversations. As such this suggests an individual’s perceptions towards technology frameworks depend on their own beliefs about its potential thus demonstrating that any use of technology is based upon socially constructed ideas and values.
Overall, both authors present compelling arguments regarding the relationship between humans and technology although each approaches this topic from slightly different perspectives; White emphasizes its power to shape people’s behaviors regardless of context while Beer suggests our usage of these tools reflects pre-existing cultural norms thereby implying a combination of both technological determinism and social constructivism exists when assessing this issue further.
