Science and technology in western culture

Question 1

Science and technology can bring about not only changes in the experiences and lifestyles of individual people, but major changes in the societies and cultures and in worldviews (the ways in which groups of people see the world and their place in it).

Two examples are the Scientific and Industrial Revolutions. Burke says, “together with the Industrial Revolution came the modern expectation of progress and a better standard of living made possible by men’s skills and the machines they invented…” He goes on to credit the Industrial Revolution with promoting both capitalism and giving birth to socialism among other things and claims that it changed society, making “modern urban society dependent on mass-production techniques without which we cannot now survive” (1985/1995, page 193). Of the Scientific Revolution, McClellan and Dorn (2006, page 247) say, “The status of the old ideas that natural philosophy was for natural philosophers or subservient to theology diminished. Evidently the new notions were more consistent with the interests of the new centralized states and the development of merchant capitalism in Europe.”

Consider

• How do science and technology play a part in changing worldviews? Is the existence and spread of new scientific knowledge/theories alone sufficient, or does the knowledge have to be applied in practical ways? Is the existence of technology alone a part of change or, if not, how widespread must its use be?
• Are these changes in worldviews goals in and of themselves or are they a consequence of other activities?
• What markers (social factors, events, and/or trends) signify that there have been changes in worldviews?

References

• James Burke. 1985/1995. The Day the Universe Changed. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
• James E. McClellan III and Harold Dorn. 2006. Science and Technology in World History. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

During the module, you are expected to contribute a minimum of three responses that are of high academic caliber each week, providing your analysis of material that you clearly reference in the text of your posting (this means citing course and outside reading material, as appropriate). Please note that this is a minimum amount; you are encouraged to go beyond this amount. Note that not all of your postings must be at this level: sharing personal experiences relevant to the topic are encouraged, as long as you are also contributing postings of high academic quality.

Question 2

Research Topic Request

What do you want to explore?

This first step asks you to identify some potential areas that would be of interest to you. Please describe your top three choices for your research paper. (Your most preferred topic should be listed as number one). Keep in mind that this is a history of Western civilization course. Therefore, your topics must focus on events that occurred prior to the 1950s and must also not focus exclusively on the United States.

For each of the three topics:

• Name the topic.
• Briefly explain why this topic interests you or what you hope to get out of it.
• Identify two potential analytic/arguable thesis statements you might use for a research paper on this topic.

Note: kindly choose a suitable research topic for me and follow all the instructions above, thank you.

Question 3

Industrialization of the world has been described as a “Faustian bargain.” Another perspective holds that industrialization has freed humanity from the bonds imposed by nature. Based on the readings in this module, as well as on your own experience and other readings, do you agree with one of these positions? If so, why? If not, do you have an alternative perspective?