During this weeks symposium one of the questions that were asked was  ‘whether art and culture can progress without technology?’ and throughout the discussion the most interesting aspect that was brought up by one of the tutors was the idea that for art and its creation what is required are tools and that tools are different to technology. Adrian however argues against the point and suggests that tools are technology, which means that pens, paint brushes, pencils etc, are in to be considered as technology.

When I heard this I didn’t know how to feel about it, I always saw them as two different things, I never thought of a brush as technology, I tended to associate mechanics and digital devices as technology. So in order to get this straight for myself and my understanding I looked up the definition of both terms, as I realized that these terms are two that are so natural in life where I’ve used them or heard them and understood the possible meaning behind them but I couldn’t think of away to describe them to myself, and other people if I was asked. The online dictionary had several meanings for both words here are some:

Technology:

…’the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life…’

‘the application of this knowledge for practical ends’

Tools:

‘any instrument of manual operation.’

‘the machine itself; a machine tool.’

‘any instrument of manual operation.’

Looking at all these definitions they are all quite similar, in a sense that it shows that there is a connection between the two terms, as opposed to them being a synonym of each other. Take for example first definition of the word tool, its any instrument of manual operation, and the second definition of technology; it’s said to be the application of knowledge for practical ends. This definition claims that technology is something that needs to applied or used in a practical form, based on that I believe that another way to look at these terms would be that a tool becomes a technology when it is used or applied for a purpose. So once a pen is picked up and is used to write it’s a technology.

Finally I also believe that this ties in with the question of whether culture can progress without technology, which is that it clearly can’t. Our world operates in the use of tools and technology, especially in this modern digital age we can’t live without technology, and as Adrain did briefly mention at the symposium that our ancestors, the cavemen, had tools and technology, like fire, to go about their everyday lives.