Oxford Color Illustrations of the History of Modern Technology

Author: Ke Wei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: The 20th century was an era of miracles in science and technology. This miracle was not only a marvelous performance in the playground of human wisdom but also an intellectual competition that affected the quality of human life and even survival. The rapid development of science and technology completely renewed the rhythm and laws of human historical progress. Humans have even become hesitant to predict the future because the speed of technological advancement makes it impossible to confirm the parameters for future predictions. It has been sprinting at a dizzying speed. This book reflects our two fundamental understandings of human scientific and technological civilization: First, human scientific and technological civilization is a product of harmonious development between humans and the natural world. Human technological development should align with humans' position in nature—coexisting with heaven and earth—rather than dominating nature, pursuing a path of conquering nature, which is actually the endless expansion of human greed and leads to death. Second, human scientific and technological civilization is a product of utilizing the bounty of nature and experiencing the cycles of life and death between heaven and earth. Information is humanity's effort to change the environment and shift the boundaries of time and space. It is in these aspects that science and technology have given wings to the development of human civilization.