Technogenic civilization: description, history, development, problems and prospects

A modern technogenic civilization has several key features. The main one is that in such a society scientific progress and individual freedom always come first .

Appearance of the term

The term "technogenic civilization", or "technocratic", appeared in 1921. It was first used by sociologist Thorstein Veblen. In his book "Engineers and the price system," the researcher emphasized the importance of uniting the efforts of engineers from around the world to improve life on earth.

This concept quickly became popular in the scientific community. The followers of Veblen continued to search for their predecessor. There were several theories about what a technogenic civilization is. First of all, it was opposed to traditional society. Such a civilization is characterized by the fact that its members are trying to preserve the old way of life. They are guided by tradition and painfully endure change. It is a society with slow social development. Technogenic civilization is built around the opposite principles - individual freedom, progress, innovation in all spheres of life, readiness to adapt to rapid changes.

Fundamentals of technogenic civilization

Technocratism is not only a civilization (that is, a way of society), but also an ideology. Its supporters believe that there is nothing more important than the development of science. Together with this, the development of technology leads to changes in social life. Technical growth is not just fun for scientists. It is also a way to solve a lot of public problems (for example, to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor).

Modern civilization (man-made) changes not only the way of life of people, but also the political system. Such an ideology implies that the government should be governed not by a charismatic leader, but by a clear institution of power. The mechanisms of governing the country in a technocratic society work without regard for a particular policy. In fact, the personality of the ruler becomes second place. In the first place is the state machine itself, which, with the help of its social elevators, picks up only quality managers, not populists, who promise golden mountains to voters . Technogenic civilization is managed by professionals - people who have been working hard for a long time in their work.

Prerequisites for appearance

Today it is difficult to deny that science is the main engine of progress. However, the attitude towards the development of technologies was not always rosy. Even when humanity left behind the era of barbarism, science for a long time was the lot of the marginals. The first world civilizations that emerged back in Antiquity certainly belonged to a group of traditional societies. Traditions and customs took an important place in all of them.

The first prerequisites for the birth of anthropogenic civilization can be noted in ancient Greek policies. These were independent cities, whose important role in life was played by thinkers and scientists. Policies were governed by the principles of democracy, which replaced the classical tyranny of a despot. It was in these cities that many significant human inventions appeared.

Fighting traditional society

The difference between traditional society and anthropogenic civilization is enormous. Therefore, people had to prove for many centuries their right to progress. The marked development of anthropogenic civilization began in the 15th-16th centuries, when Western Europe learned of the existence of the New World. The discovery of lands on distant shores spurred the curiosity of the inhabitants of the Catholic world. The most enterprising and enterprising of them became navigators and explorers. They opened the world around themselves and enriched the knowledge of compatriots. This process could not but affect the general state of minds. In the end, the amount of knowledge turned into quality.

One of the main obstacles to the development of an early technogenic society was religion. The church in medieval Europe was an important institution, both spiritual and political. Her opponents were declared heretics and burned at the stake. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Reformation movement was born in Germany. His inspirer Martin Luther advocated the reform of the church. The preacher had many supporters, including in the princely German dynasties. The armed struggle between Protestants and Catholics soon began. It resulted in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), after which the principle of freedom of religion was established in many countries of Europe.

The impact of progress on the economy

In the new society, much more resources went into the development of education. Universities were opened, people studied and cognized the world around them. The development of technology has led to economic growth. Such important inventions as a loom or, for example, a steam boiler, allowed some countries to increase their own production and improve the well-being of citizens.

The industrial revolution of the 19th century made England the main world power with colonies in all parts of the world. Certainly, it was already a technogenic civilization. The problems of its development were due to the fact that people who became masters of the whole world did not immediately learn how to properly use its resources.

The Importance of Civil Liberties

During the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, many ideas of the ancient world and Christian civilization were synthesized. The new ideology received only the best from these two bases. In particular, it was love for man. The ideas of the Enlightenment stated that in the world there is nothing more important than a single individual.

These principles are now at the basis of the constitutions of most states of the world. Person-centeredness was first proclaimed a key idea after the declaration of US independence. The constitution of this new country has enshrined all major modern civil liberties. On a similar path a few years later went to France, where there was a revolution that destroyed the old order in the face of a conservative absolute monarchy. In the future, for two more centuries, different societies pursued civil liberties in their own ways, without which it is impossible to imagine a technogenic civilization.

The Triumph of Technogenic Civilization

In the XX century man and technogenic civilization moved to a new stage of their development. At this time, the pace of social change accelerated dramatically. Today, the life of one generation is as much new as it was a few centuries before. Technogenic civilization is also sometimes called "western", emphasizing the place of its origin. Today the main abodes of such orders are Europe and the United States.

What is important is that today the crisis of man-made civilization can no longer occur, because the sources of its development are not new cultural zones as before (colonialism, etc.), but the restructuring of the already existing order. The main success of the transition from a traditional society to a technocracy can be considered a change in values. Today, the most important for society is any innovation, something new, as a phenomenon.

Traditional and technogenic civilization can not coexist together. Therefore, modern society is characterized by a dynamic spread to all corners of the planet. Traditional societies are self-sufficient by contact with the latest technologies. Adherents of traditions and haters of progress have only one way to survive in today's world - to put their society on the path of isolation. This is how North Korea lives, which does not recognize the discoveries of the West and does not even support economic relations with it.

Human and nature

One of the most important dominants in the technogenic civilization has always been the desire of man to subjugate nature. Man did not immediately learn to take care of the surrounding world. His active activities associated with the intensive use of natural resources often lead to man-made disasters, damaging the ecological situation. In a series of similar examples, one can note the tragedy at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. This is the very case when people too quickly took up the use of new technology, yet not learned to use it. Humanity has only one house. An irrational attitude towards nature is one of the main problems of technocracy.

It is essential for a member of such a society to engage in transforming activities. It is with this rule that those values of the technogenic civilization are associated, thanks to which it constantly changes its own bases.

Place of personality in a new society

The emergence of anthropogenic civilization changed the position of man in society. In a traditional society, people are extremely dependent on supreme power, traditions and the caste system.

In the modern world, the personality is autonomous. Everyone can change their situation, contacts, working circle at will. He is not tied to dogmatic orders. Modern man is free. Independence is necessary for the individual for development and self-realization. The technogenic civilization, which is built on innovations and discoveries, encourages and supports the individuality of each individual.