The structure of technological culture. Technological culture


Ministry of Science and Education of the Russian Federation
State educational institution
higher professional education
"Pacific State University"

TEST

Discipline: "Culturology"
Topic: "Features of technological culture"
Option - 17

Completed by: Bendyak Victoria Konstantinovna
1st year student
Direction 0802200.62 BME "Management"
Group Mz-11
Record book number 2011022767
Checked

Khabarovsk - 2011
Plan:

    Introduction
    Essence and content of technological culture
    Technology, science, engineering
    The role of technological culture in the life of modern society
    Conclusion
    Literature

    Introduction
Expedient organization human activity involves the selection of the necessary means and methods of action, planning and execution of a certain sequence of operations. This organizational side of human activity forms its technology.
The technology of human activity, unlike the activity of animals, is not given to man “by nature”, but is a cultural phenomenon. The niche it occupies in the cultural space is the area of ​​technological culture.
Technological culture includes knowledge and regulations, with the help of which human activity is carried out. This is its semantic, informative, content side. But, as in all areas of culture, it also has a material side - cereal material, in which its meanings are encoded, objectified.
Tasks of control work:
    Determine the essence and content of technological culture
    Define the concept of technology, science, engineering
    Determine the role of technological culture in the life of modern society

    Essence and content of technological culture
In the 20th century, humanity entered the technological stage of its development.
Using various technological means, a person began to actively create an artificial world, his objective existence.
At the turn of the transition of mankind to the 20th century, the scientific and technical environment, the technosphere began to alienate man from nature, which led to a violation of the natural balance in the world. The technological development of society was carried out in two stages. The first stage (the first half of the 20th century) focused on industrialization and mechanization of production. It was a stage of scientific and technological progress and technocratic ideology. Technocracy literally means the power of technology as a means (not a method) of production.
At the beginning of the 20th century, technocratic philosophical theories dominated, according to which technology and its systematic development by themselves, regardless of other factors, can solve all social problems. Therefore, power and management in a capitalist society must be transferred from the owners and politicians to the engineering and technical intelligentsia (technocracy), which allegedly acts as the main driving force of progress.
Technocratic theories reflected the increased importance of science and technology for production and society, but they underestimated the role of such factors as politics, culture, class and national interests, etc.
By the beginning of the 1940s, technocratic philosophical theories had lost their relevance.
In the second half of the 20th century, humanity entered the scientific and technological stage of development. The emergence of new technologies led to the fact that in the years 1950-1990, world social production increased by about 7 times. The creation of computers led to the emergence of the information world and high, science-intensive technologies.
Back in the 70s, the term scientific and technological revolution was widely used, in which the role of technology was emphasized to the detriment of technology. However, with the advent of universal technology, production methods began to differ in their technologies, which began to dominate.
Today, mankind lives in conditions when the industrial stage of scientific and technological progress with its extensive, technocratic ideology (to get the maximum result at any cost) is becoming a thing of the past. The new - technological - stage establishes the priority of the method over the result of the activity, taking into account its social, environmental, economic, psychological, aesthetic and other factors and research.
In a technological culture, a person realizes himself as the master of all things. Previously inaccessible to the human mind gradually becomes more and more clear. Man has been able to make nature manifest some of its potentially existing laws. Now he lives in the conditions of an open instrumental civilization, being aware of this. He created technological "organisms" - systems of interdependent components, the actions of which are aimed at achieving the goals set by their creator.
The power and range of modern technological means - computers, industrial robots, controlled biotechnological reactions or nuclear reactors - are not comparable to their predecessors. On the one hand, they improve people's lives, and on the other hand, they increase a person's responsibility for their actions.
For modern - technological - culture such basic
concept is "technology".
The most common is the assertion that the word "technology" comes from the Greek "techne" - art, skill, skill and "logos" - teaching, science. Thus, technology is understood as the science of craftsmanship, methods of interaction between a person, tools and objects of labor.
Previously, the term "technology" was used only in relation to production processes.
Thus, technology is a multidimensional, universal concept that permeates all aspects of human life and society. Technology is at least a philosophical, sociocultural, epistemological, psychological, pedagogical, economic category and requires further study.
Technological culture is based on the transformational activity of a person, in which his knowledge, skills and creative abilities are manifested. Transformative activity today penetrates into all spheres of human life and activity - from industry and agriculture to medicine and pedagogy, leisure and management.
Technological culture can be seen in the social
(broad) and personal (narrow) plans. In social terms, technological culture is the level of development of the life of society on the basis of the expedient and effective transformative activity of people, the totality of technologies achieved in material and spiritual production.
In personal terms, technological culture is the level of a person's mastery of modern ways of knowing and transforming himself and the world around him.
Technological culture has an impact on all aspects of human life and society. First, it assumes that a person has a system of technological knowledge, skills and personal qualities.
technological knowledge include an understanding of basic technological concepts, an understanding of the technosphere, methods of transformative activity, modern and promising production technologies and forms of human life, etc.
Technological Skills - these are methods of transformative activity mastered by man on the basis of acquired knowledge. These include the ability to consciously and creatively choose the best ways of transformative activity, quickly master new professions and technologies, design their activities and anticipate their results, conduct design analysis, use a computer, carry out design activities, perform graphic constructions, etc.
Technologically important qualities are the properties of a person necessary for the successful mastery of transformative activity. These include the formation of adequate professional self-determination, diligence, diversity of interests, flexibility of thinking, professional mobility, independence and competence, responsibility, discipline, enterprise, the need for continuous improvement, etc.
Technological culture forms a certain (technological) view of the world and manifests itself in a technological worldview. The technological worldview should be understood as a system of technological views on nature, society, man and his thinking.
It is based on a global, planetary view of the world, which is a unity of the biosphere, sociosphere, technosphere and noosphere. At the center of this system is a person who must consciously maintain balance in the world with his mind.
The technological worldview is also based on the assumption that social development is based on the way of people's transformative activity, as well as the level of technological culture of a person and society. And at the same time, technological culture is one of the most important indicators of the level of development of society, thinking and creative abilities of a person.
Technological thinking is an integral part of technological culture.
Technological thinking is the mental ability of a person to transform activity to create material and spiritual values ​​for the benefit of man, society, the natural environment, a generalized and indirect reflection of the scientific and technological sphere by an individual.
Technological thinking is aimed at finding optimal means
transformation of matter, energy and information into a product necessary for a person.
In the context of ever-increasing human intervention in the development of natural and social processes, ethical issues take on a new meaning. Ethics assesses the suitability of an individual's actions in terms of the implications of those actions for an "ethical partnership". Previously, only other people acted as "ethical partners". Now the circle of such partners has noticeably expanded.
Under the new conditions, the creators of modern technical systems were not able to foresee all the consequences of their projects, since many of them appear after the death of their authors. All this increases the responsibility of the creators and consumers of technical systems for the result of their activities, which requires the formation of technological ethics.
Technological ethics (technoethics) is a system of norms and principles of ethical partnership, which the created technosystems must comply with.
Technological culture is associated with technological aesthetics.
Technological aesthetics is the aesthetic attitude of a person to the means, process and results of transformative activity, which is expressed in design knowledge, skills and abilities to transform the technological environment according to the laws of beauty.
Technological aesthetics is closely related to the concept of design. Design (eng. design - drawing, drawing, project) - creative activity (and products of this activity), aimed at the formation and ordering of the object-spatial environment, in the process of which the unity of its functional and aesthetic aspects is achieved.
Technological aesthetics is the theoretical foundation of design. In turn, it develops at the intersection of a number of scientific achievements: aesthetics, art history, sociology, ergonomics (engineering psychology), economics, production technology, etc.
Thus, in a generalized form, technological culture can be understood as the level of development of human transformative activity, expressed in the totality of the achieved technologies of material and spiritual production and allowing him to effectively participate in modern technological processes based on harmonious interaction with nature, society and the technological environment.
    Technology, science, engineering
Technics
In modern scientific literature, technology is understood as any means and methods of activity that are invented by people to achieve some goal. This approach to understanding technology highlights the main thing that unites all its various types.
The field of technology also includes what is not called technology in everyday speech (and a shovel, and a button, and a broom, etc.) - all these are means of activity.
Technology as a set of means and methods of human activity performs a pragmatic function in people's lives: people create and use it in order to get some benefit from it. Technique operates in the "multidimensional" space of life, which covers the "three-dimensional" space of culture and extends far beyond the latter. But at the same time, it also acts as a part of culture and the most important factor in its development.
Firstly, technology forms the cultural environment of a person - that artificial, artifactual "second nature" in which people live and which is the "material body" of culture.
Secondly, it is a means of applying the achievements of culture (mainly science) to the solution of the material and practical problems of social life, i.e., a way of responding culture to the "social order" on the part of society.
Thirdly, it creates the tools of culture - the means and methods of activity in the field of culture.
Fourthly, it acts as a cultural code - as one of the most important sign systems of culture, carrying a huge amount of social information.
Thus, technology can be considered not only in the pragmatic, but also in the information-semiotic aspect - as a form of obtaining, storing, processing and using information, a form of culture that occupies its own niche in the cultural space.
Technology serves man as a means of influencing nature in order to protect him from unfavorable natural processes and to adapt nature to his needs. If animals adapt to the environment due to the arrangement of their organs, then man - thanks to the growing ability to manufacture artificial organs, external "additives" to his body that increase his strength and abilities.
The science
Science is a special kind of cognitive activity aimed at obtaining, clarifying and producing objective, systematically organized and justified knowledge about nature, society and thinking. The basis of this activity is the collection of scientific facts, their constant updating and systematization, critical analysis and, on this basis, the synthesis of new scientific knowledge or generalizations, which not only describe the observed natural or social phenomena, but also make it possible to build causal relationships and, as consequence is to predict. Those natural science theories and hypotheses that are confirmed by facts or experiments are formulated in the form of laws of nature or society.
Science of the 20th century characterizes a close and strong relationship with technology, an ever deeper transformation into the direct productive force of society, the growth and deepening of its connection with all spheres of social life, the strengthening of its social role. Modern Science is the most important component of the scientific and technological revolution, its driving force.
Engineering
An engineer is a "specialist with a higher technical education." Such a definition is given in the explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. However, this feature is only a formal sign of the engineering profession. The specificity of the engineer's activity is, firstly, that it is a practical activity. Its main goal is not to receive or give knowledge, but to apply knowledge for practical purposes, to make changes in reality. Secondly, engineering activity is connected with the solution of technical problems of practice. Finally, thirdly, a feature of engineering activity (in its modern form) is that it is aimed at technical problems, the solution of which requires scientific knowledge.
Thus, the features of engineering activity are due to the combination of science and practice in it. Through engineering, science becomes a productive force, and production becomes the application of science.
Engineering is the sphere of docking of the world of science and the world of technology, the bridge that connects these worlds.
Engineering requires a different way of thinking than science. Science is aimed at creating general ideal models that can be applied in various fields of technology, while engineering is aimed at creating a real technical object using all kinds of knowledge from a wide variety of sciences. Science decomposes various phenomena into separate "shelves": mechanical - separately, electromagnetic - separately, chemical - separately. Engineering collects knowledge from these "shelves" together.
Engineering, like science, also went through a long way of "embryonic" development before becoming a separate area of ​​culture. But science matured in the bosom of philosophy, and engineering - in the bosom of the craft. Being included in philosophy, science in its "embryonic" state was part of the spiritual culture, while engineering, as a component of the craft, belonged to the technological culture.
Engineering in its modern sense was born along with science in the era of the emergence of machine production and the formation of industrial civilization. Since that time, its history as a special form of culture begins. But engineering had its own "prehistoric" period, rooted in antiquity.
    The role of technological culture in the life of modern society
In recent years, the attitude towards culture, the understanding of its importance and role in modern society, the recognition of culture as one of the most important resources for socio-economic development have changed dramatically.
Technological culture is the culture of a modern technologically saturated society. This is a new attitude to the world around us, based on the transformation and improvement, as well as the improvement of the human environment.
Technological culture is the philosophy of a new vision of the world. And the formation of technological culture should be associated with the problem of human responsibility for their actions in technological situations and relationships, when much depends on their culture: morality, rationality and responsibility.
Technological culture is based on the transformational activity of a person, in which his knowledge, skills and creative abilities are manifested.
Transformative activity today penetrates into all spheres of human life and work - from industry and agriculture to medicine and pedagogy, leisure and management. Technological culture began to take shape as a result of modern scientific, technical and socio-economic achievements.
The initial stage of the development of technological culture is characterized by intensive human intervention in the course of natural processes: turning the flow of rivers, land reclamation and irrigation, genetic engineering, space exploration, etc. Using the latest technical systems, man began to barbarously deplete the resources of nature, which led to a violation of natural balance. . These destructive actions of man threaten the very existence of life on Earth. At the same time, one should not forget that the influence of modern technological means (computers, industrial robots, controlled biological reactions, etc.) known to people forces of nature.
Technological culture is defined as a transformative creative natural activity, including knowledge, skills, emotional and moral attitude to this type of activity and readiness to act taking into account responsibility for one's actions.
Technological culture includes ten components that are manifested in the activities and behavior of a person of any profession, citizen, consumer, family man and student. This is the culture of labor, human relations, home, design, graphic culture, informational, entrepreneurial, environmental, consumer, design.
To date, there are programs for the course "Fundamentals of Technological Culture" for studying in grades 10-11, developed by Yu.L. Khotuntsev and V.D. Simonenko, a textbook for students in grades 10-11 in the humanities (edited by V.D. Simonenko). As a result of studying the course "Fundamentals of technological culture" as a general technological component, graduates of a general education school should have an idea: about technological culture and its components; about the role of technology and technology in modern society and trends in their development;
about modern energy and material saving, non-waste and other promising technologies; about the social and environmental consequences of the use of technology;
own: work culture; means and methods of searching for new technical solutions, graphic modeling of products and objects of design activities, implementation of elements of entrepreneurial activity;
be able to: work with information and technological documentation; Justify your choice of career plan and take advantage of employment opportunities.
Technological culture, being one of the types of universal culture, has an impact on all aspects of human life and society. It forms a technological worldview, which is based on a system of technological views on nature, society and man. Its integral part is technological thinking associated with the generalized reflection of the scientific and technological environment by the individual and the mental ability for transformative activity. An integral part of technological culture is also technological aesthetics, which is expressed in design knowledge, skills and abilities to carry out transformative activities according to the laws of beauty.
At present, the development of society is based on setting the priority of the method over the result of the activity. The main goal of human activity is to change the social, economic and cultural life of society. Mastering the technological culture in the conditions of the national-regional component means mastering the functional methods and ways of mastering the knowledge necessary in any activity, i.e., the algorithm of transformative creative activity.
The quality of manufactured science-intensive products depends on the technological culture of the population.
CONCLUSION
Culture is understood as organized aggregates of material objects, ideas and images; technologies for their manufacture and operation; sustainable relationships between people and ways to regulate them; evaluation criteria available in society. This is an artificial environment created by people themselves for existence and self-realization, a source of regulation of social interaction and behavior.
The technological aspect of culture occupies a significant place in it. Depending on the types of objects they are aimed at creating, technologies are divided, firstly, into producing and broadcasting symbols, secondly, into creating physical objects, and, thirdly, into organizing systems of social interaction.
Technological culture is the basis and condition for the development of modern society and production.
Technological culture is the level of development of human transformative activity, expressed in the totality of the achieved technologies of material and spiritual production and allowing him to effectively participate in modern technological processes based on harmonious interaction with nature, society and the technological environment.
The modern technological era has sharply exacerbated the problem of interaction between nature, man and the technosphere. The technologies used should not harm humans and the natural environment. Therefore, the priority of the method over the results of any activity should now be ensured.
Each person must be specially prepared for harmonious coexistence and effective functioning in an information and technologically saturated world. Living in such a world and not knowing it is dangerous and even criminal.

etc.................

Types of culture

technological culture

Today, the concept of culture covers all aspects of human activity and society. Therefore, there are political, economic, legal, moral, environmental, artistic, professional and other types of culture. The fundamental component of the general culture is the technological culture.

Technological culture can be understood as the level of development of human transformative activity, expressed in the totality of the achieved technologies of material and spiritual production and allowing him to effectively participate in modern technological processes based on harmonious interaction with nature, society and the technological environment.

Technological culture, being one of the types of universal culture, has an impact on all aspects of human life and society. It forms a technological worldview, which is based on a system of technological views on nature, society and man. Its integral part is technological thinking associated with the generalized reflection of the scientific and technological environment by the individual and the mental ability for transformative activity.

An integral part of technological culture is also technological aesthetics, which is expressed in design knowledge, skills and abilities to carry out transformative activities according to the laws of beauty.

Technological culture has its influence on the tasks and content of the education of the younger generation. In the system of general education, technological training of students is also carried out, the purpose of which is to form a technological culture and readiness for transformative activities using scientific knowledge. Gurevich P.S. Culturology: Proc. allowance.- M., 1996.-287 p.

Human society

The manifestation of various human qualities capable of transforming the environment, improving the world around us - this is the multitude of cultures that are embodied in the concept of "technological culture". From the position of modern concepts of the development of human society, in whose field of vision the rational abilities of a person, his creative approach to everything that surrounds him, his creative self-expression, the concept of "technological culture" personifies a new layer of culture, indicating a high level of abilities and scientific knowledge in the implementation by a person of any technological process or project, both in the social and in the industrial spheres of activity. Drach G.V. Culturology. Rostov-on-Don, 1996. - 325 p.

The system of technological education in the education of technological culture in the educational process

One of the most important goals of the system of technological education in the education of technological culture in the educational process is the education of the need to master the system of scientific knowledge. On the basis of scientific knowledge, new technologies are born, leading to the abundance and prosperity of society. In turn, standard philosophy, together with standardization, should ensure the creation and implementation in practice of effective tools for influencing production, resource consumption and resource conservation, the improvement of societies and the protection of spheres of existence from the omnipotence of technology.

Continuity of education, as a phenomenon of technologization of society and the dissemination of scientific knowledge, has become a leading factor in development, expanding the scope of technology.

Mastering technological culture in terms of technological education means mastering the functional methods and ways of mastering technological knowledge necessary in any activity, i.e., the algorithm of transformative activity. As an integrative foundation for technology education, it includes two main components - the design process and the manufacturing process.

The education of a person's technological culture in the educational process is also connected with the ethical problem of a person's responsibility for his actions in technological situations and relationships, when much depends on his morality, rationality and responsibility. Technological culture is also ethics, it is a new philosophy, a philosophy of a new vision of the world. Standardosophy can become a science that unites and centralizes efforts about the optimal interactions of various aspects of technical civilization with each other and with the environment and will contribute to the establishment of possible and necessary restrictions on the technical development of civilization among themselves and with the environment, with the establishment of possible and necessary restrictions on the technical development of civilization in relationships with the atmosphere, geo-, bio- and noospheres. In turn, the standard will become a document that systematizes knowledge about reality, since the gigantic changes that have occurred to our planet since the Stone Age concern especially ecology, and in recent decades, biology. The consequences of human technological activity on the planet (for example, the greenhouse effect, natural disasters, pollution of water bodies due to oil spills, etc.) require both the establishment of strict rules and balanced, reasonable human actions. Galenko S.P. Conceptual foundations of education policy in Russia // Culture. - Civilization. - Education. - Tver, 1996. - 81 p.

Essence and content of technological culture

technology as cultural phenomenon

Technology in a broad sense refers to the organizational side of any activity. Technological culture includes knowledge and regulations through which human activity is carried out. The main forms of technological culture:

♦ Technics.

♦ The science.

♦ Engineering.

Formation and development of technological culture

1.Magic technologies. In them, the main role is played by regulatives (magic), the cognitive aspect (mythological knowledge) is underdeveloped. The sign code is more in actions than in tools and objects of activity.

2. The growth of technology - skills and knowledge, subject inventory.

3. Technical knowledge. First - about the rules, then - about the properties of materials and fixtures. Description, without explanatory theories.

4. Rapprochement of technical knowledge with theoretical science. The emergence of technical sciences. Technique becomes "scientific" - created with the help of science.

5. Emergence of engineering as a link connecting technology with science.

6. Rapprochement of science with practice - the orientation of science towards solving practical problems, its transition from the sphere of spiritual culture to the field of technological culture.

Technology is the material “body” of technological culture, science is its intellectual “soul”, and engineering is its active, volitional principle, subordinating the “body” to the “soul”.

Features of technological culture:

1. Focuses on questions: what? (knowledge) and how? (regulations).

2. Utilitarian character (as opposed to spiritual culture).

3. Plays a subordinate, service role in relation to the spiritual and social culture.

4. It is a universal and indispensable condition for any cultural activity (in any business there is technology).

Appendix 443

5. Evolution from mysticism (magic) to rationality.

Technics- any means and methods of activity that are invented by people to achieve some goal (always an artifact, something artificially created).

subject- material means of human activity.

Performing- methods, techniques, mastery of performing actions (technology).

Differences between drive and technical objects:

Functions of technology in culture

1. Creating a cultural environment human habitation, the "material body" of culture.

2. A means of applying the achievements of culture to solving practical problems - response to the "social order" of culture.

3. Creation of cultural tools - means and methods of activity.

4. Technique is cultural code,"accumulator of information", a means of its storage and transmission.

The image of technology in culture

The image of technology- the cultural perception of it.

♦ In primitive culture: endowed with magical properties.

♦ In ancient times: a creation of the mind, inventive talent is a gift from the gods.

♦ In the religious culture of the Middle Ages: God-given condition of human existence; technical innovations are condemned as attempts to deviate from the canons established by God.

♦ Since the Renaissance, technology has been viewed as the most important factor in social progress.

♦ A wave of negative attitudes towards technology in the first third of the 19th century (Luddism).

♦ National differences in the image of technology.

♦ In Russia, alien, "basurman" technology causes suspicion and distrust among the peasants.

♦ After the October Revolution - praising the power of technology.

♦ In the XX century - the struggle of two trends - technicalism(technophilia)and anti-technism(technophobia). Technicism depicts technology as a blessing, antitechnicism as an evil.

Appendix

The dangers of technological progress:

1. The impoverishment of the spiritual life of mankind.

2. The transformation of man into a slave of technology.

3. Destruction of the natural basis of human existence, man is not a part of nature, but its master.

4. The danger of self-destruction of humanity due to careless handling of technology.

5. The threat of self-poisoning of mankind as a result of the use of artificial substitutes.

Ways to overcome the negative trends of technological progress:

1. The development of science and engineering.

2. Development of spiritual and social culture.

3. Improving the management system of society.

The science

The science- three meanings:

♦ a specific body of knowledge;

♦ special type of activity;

♦ a special branch of social labor.

scientific knowledge- its features:

1. Rationality all provisions and conclusions; everything must be understood by reason, not by faith.

2. Objectivity, impersonality; truth does not depend on beliefs and prejudices.

3. Reproducibility and verifiability result by any researcher under similar conditions.

4. Logical rigor, accuracy and unambiguity.

5. Logical relationship various elements of scientific knowledge, science - a logically ordered system.

Scientific activity

♦ The main view is research. Other types: collection of information on the research topic, preparation of the necessary equipment, presentation of research results, etc.

♦ Means of scientific activity: instruments, instruments, experimental setups, norms and ideals of description and explanation, substantiation and proof, construction and organization of scientific knowledge.

Science as a branch of social labor

♦ Institutions and organizations - institutes, laboratories, academies...

♦ Scientific communication system - scientific publications, journals, patent office, conferences...

Appendix 445

♦ Differentiation of professions and specialties.

♦ Science as a market. Sale of knowledge. Competition.

Periodization of the development of science

1. I century BC e. - 16th century AD e. - period pre-science. The accumulation of knowledge, the first philosophical ideas about nature.

2. XVI-XVII centuries - era scientific revolution. Formation of the foundations of modern natural science. The emergence of scientific methodology. Separation of science as a separate sphere of activity, the emergence of a scientific community. Copernicus, Galileo, Bacon, Descartes, Hooke, Leibniz, Newton.

3. XVIII-XIX centuries - classical science. Education of individual disciplines. The emergence of technical sciences, science becomes the engine of progress.

4. XX century - postclassical science. Revolutionary discoveries at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries shake the foundations of a number of sciences (relativity theory, quantum mechanics, genetics). From the 2nd half of the 20th century - a huge scale of introducing discoveries into practice, reducing the time from discovery to application.

Sociocultural landmarks of science

♦ Truth and benefit. A scientist needs truth, society needs benefit.

♦ Autonomy and social control. The autonomy of science - for the freedom to choose topics, methods, research goals - is a condition for its development. But social control - so that research does not harm society.

♦ Neutralism and social responsibility. In the past, the ideological neutrality of scientists in matters of religion, ethics, and politics saved science from external pressure. What is needed now is the social responsibility of scientists for the consequences of their activities.

The attitude of society towards science

♦ Until modern times, science in public opinion was an eccentric and incomprehensible occupation.

♦ In modern times: the real force driving the development of modern civilization is rationalism, technism, scientism. Irrationalism and mysticism, technophobia and anti-scientism are a reaction to this force.

Engineering

Specificity of engineering activity

♦ Practical activity - knowledge is applied to change reality.

♦ Linked to decision technical tasks.

♦ Requires scientific knowledge.

Engineering is a combination of science and practice.

Appendix

Historical evolution of engineering culture

♦ Pre-engineering. Design and invention of primitive technology. In the role of the cognitive basis - myths (performing the same function as science).

♦ Engineering develops in alliance with art, craft, ancient science as technica ars- the art of creating something new.

♦ The Renaissance - the development of engineering (architecture, mining, military affairs, the creation of weapons), the use of scientific achievements. The emergence of the engineering profession. In place of handicraft and artistic - rational-scientific engineering.

♦ In modern times - the growth of the need for engineers; training of engineers in special educational institutions; high status of the engineering profession.

♦ XX century: engineering is one of the most popular professions; raising the level of technological culture and reducing the prestige of the profession. Stages of development of engineering:

1. predominance prescription aspect: the engineer knows how do work; insufficient understanding of the essence of the processes (why so, and not otherwise).

2. Predominance subject aspect: to justify the methods: you need to know what represents a technical object, what processes take place in it; increasing the role of science.

3. Increase in importance human aspect: taking into account the peculiarities of the interaction of technology with people.

The scope of modern engineering

In the 20th century, engineering went beyond its traditional sphere - industrial production: agricultural, medical, pharmaceutical, genetic, zoo- and bioengineering, environmental engineering, social engineering, etc. appeared.

Engineering in a broad sense

♦ Trends in the development of engineering culture: expansion and universalization.

♦ Engineering in a broad sense- any activity aimed at the application of science to practice, at the development of technology with the help of scientific methods.

♦ Since the 20th century - "post-classical" engineering.

Horizons of engineering culture

Further expansion and universalization - the exit of the theoretical base of engineering beyond the limits of science, perhaps - the inclusion in its theoretical base, along with science, of philosophy as well.

Prospects for the expansion of engineering culture in the field of creativity.

“Technological culture of production, unfortunately, is unacceptably low. And you have to pay for this not only with money, but, unfortunately, with human lives.” V.V. Putin

Whether it concerns the ever-memorable Chernobyl tragedy, the collapse of the building of the water park in Moscow, the accident at the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station and (or) other man-made disasters - all these are stones in the garden of the Russian construction complex.

Necessary Introduction

The concept of "technological culture in construction" has become fashionable in Russia just recently - since joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), and with the light hand of the leader of our state, it is used everywhere and everywhere, and why in vain.

Recently, the head of the huge construction holding SU-155 was accused of "low technological culture of construction." Firstly, it is not clear how you can blame a person for something that does not exist? Secondly, do the detractors themselves know what “technological culture” is, what is its meaning and essence, and what are its requirements?

It is not uncommon for the concepts of engineering and technology to cause even “pundits” to have divergent views, a variety of judgments and definitions. To date, Chinese researchers have counted more than 300 definitions, or, more simply, interpretations of the concept of "technological culture of construction".

What does this indicate?

First of all, it should be said that the range of phenomena covered by this concept is extremely wide. Chinese scientists belonging to the philosophical school of engineering Lee Bo-Tsuna, suggested using this, quite reasonable and, of course, acceptable interpretation of the term:

"Technological culture of construction" is a pragmatic level of development of construction activities based on:

  • rationalization of the flow of communication information about construction, its carriers and methods of bringing it to the performers;
  • formation of criteria for technological outlook, priorities of technological thinking and standards of technological discipline;
  • introduction of scientific organization of design, production and labor;
  • effective application of promising technologies, innovative materials, modern machinery and equipment;
  • comprehensive engineering support for construction, covering all phases of the implementation of investment and construction projects, in order to reduce the cost, reduce the time and improve the quality of construction.

Origin of the term "culture" and its popular structure

The very word culture known from the time ancient rome and translated from Latin means cultivating the land, processing, care, improvement.

In the modern everyday consciousness, culture is not particularly ceremonial. It is identified with education: educated means cultured and vice versa. Try it on for a lifestyle - urban or rural. Evaluated by behavior: boor - the antipode of a cultured person. The top of the concept of culture is creativity and creative personalities.

In scientific use, the concept of "culture" is one of those whose meaning seems obvious, but is difficult to explain accurately. In the broadest sense, culture is often understood as all the achievements of mankind, everything created by it. Culture then appears as a “second nature”, created by man himself, forming a proper human world, in contrast to wild nature.

In this case, culture is usually divided into material and spiritual. This division goes back to Cicero, who was the first to note that along with culture, which means the cultivation of the earth, there is also a culture, which means "cultivation of the soul."

Material culture covers, first of all, the sphere of material production and its products - equipment, technology, means of communication and communication, industrial buildings and structures, roads and transport, dwellings, household items, clothing, etc.

Spiritual culture includes the sphere of spiritual production and its results - religion, philosophy, morality, art, science, etc. Within a spiritual culture, it is often specially distinguished artistic culture including works of art and literature. Science, in turn, is considered as the basis of intellectual, scientific and technical culture.

The triune essence of approaches to the definition of culture

The first approach lies in the very system of Russian education and upbringing. Culture is often presented as an area of ​​human spiritual freedom, the sphere of creativity of poets, musicians and artists, but very rarely - as a transformative activity of society and man.

Such an understanding is very popular and in the everyday mass consciousness home cultura (a cultured person) is a measure of the level of education, enlightenment and upbringing of a person.

Very common and popular in Europe and America is the idea of ​​culture as a set of positive values ​​created by mankind in the process of development. Simply speaking about all the useful, necessary, good things that have been done both in the spiritual and material spheres. This approach to understanding culture is called axiological (from the Greek axios - valuable + logos - word, doctrine) - the theory of values.

However, the values ​​of the concept are relative. In our era, English is becoming the "new Latin", "the alphabet of education." As an international language, English acts as a “poppy language” (English McLanguage - reduced, standardized), without hidden connotations and grammatical subtleties. All computers "speak" English and this is 80% of information on electronic media.

More than 1.6 billion people communicate on it daily. The bulk of English texts are created by those for whom English is not their native language at all. Some linguists predict that by the beginning of the XXII century. up to 9/10 of the existing languages ​​will fall out of use.

Fundamentals of understanding culture which we will be guided by in our work, is in the original meaning of the very word "culture" (lat. cultura - cultivation).

This is the third, so-called technological or active approach: it is based on an understanding of culture as human activity and its results. Everything that is created by man, in contrast to that donated by nature, and the process of creation itself, we will call culture.

The technological approach is good because it makes it easy to determine what belongs to the world of culture and what does not. For example: a naturally grown wheat ear is a natural phenomenon, and a grain field, which a peasant worked to create, is an agricultural phenomenon; the natural ravine is nature, and the excavated foundation pit for the erection of the building is a manifestation of the geotechnical culture of the builders.

Summarizing the existing points of view on culture, we can say that the word "culture" has three main meanings:

  • cultivation, creativity and production, cultivation, including cultivation of the land;
  • education, upbringing, development;
  • worship, veneration, meaning the worship of a religious cult.

Technology as the basis of technological culture

Today, the concept of culture covers all aspects of human activity and society. Therefore, there are political, economic, legal, moral, environmental, artistic, professional and other types of culture.

The fundamental component of the general culture is the technological culture. First of all, it is necessary to find out what is the essence of technological culture? To do this, it is necessary to define the content of the concept of "technology".

Technology is an ambiguous concept

The term technology appeared in the 18th century, although since the emergence of the human community, people have used various technologies to ensure their livelihoods. It is easy to establish what the word "technology" means, derived from the Latin word techne - art, craftsmanship, craft and logos - science. Therefore, technology, on the one hand, can be considered as a practical activity of a person and society, and on the other hand, as a science.

The term "technology" has a number of meanings: it is used in industry, science, art and other areas of human activity. Obviously, "technology" means the intellectual processing of technically significant qualities and abilities. In essence, this is a cultural concept associated with human thinking and activities. It determines the place of man in nature, the scope of his possible intervention in natural processes.

The modern concept of "technology" is considered in three single guises.

  • Firstly, it is an integrated field of practical knowledge about the ways of transforming matter, energy and information in the interests of man.
  • Secondly, it is the science of the transformation of materials, raw materials, energy and information into a product necessary for a person, i.e. the science of the ways of human transformative activity.
  • Thirdly, it is the science of production methods in specific areas and types of human activity (Table 1).

Table 1. Types of technologies

Technological revolutions and technological orders

Throughout its history, mankind has experienced two technological revolutions associated with a radical change in production technologies. The first is agrarian (agricultural for 9.5-6 thousand years BC), which was characterized by the creation of farming and cattle breeding technologies. The second is industrial (industrial in the 19th century), culminating in the advent of conveyor production technology.

Second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the XXI century. characterized by a sharp increase in the volume of social production in the world, the emergence of computer technology and new, including high, science-intensive, material-saving and energy-efficient technologies.

The third technological revolution in the history of mankind has begun, a post-industrial society with a high level of the intellectual component of labor has appeared - a society of "white collars", which has replaced the industrial society of conveyor production - a society of "blue collars".

The term "technology" began to be applied not only to the description of material transformations, but also energy, information and social ones. No one is surprised by such concepts as "social technologies" and "pedagogical technologies".

The emergence of new technologies in industry and agriculture contributed to a sharp increase in world social production (3 times from 1990 to 2010). This growth continues to the present.

The creation of computers led to the emergence of the information world and high technology. The amount of information used by the population has increased dramatically.

According to forecasts, by 2020 the share of people employed in the field of information and telecommunication technologies in developed countries will be at least 50% of the total number of employees, and from 5% to 10% of the population will remain in factories and factories. The main means of existence is the processing of information in one form or another.

In the 21st century the vast majority of the population will work in the service sector, including education and health care, and in the field of information, science and culture. Even on farms and in industry, more workers will be processing information than cultivating the land and working on production lines.

Economists believe that advanced the developed countries entered phase VI of the technological order. The simplest definition of the technological mode (TU) was given by Yu.V. Yakovets: "These are several interrelated and successive generations of technology, evolutionarily implementing a common technological principle."

What does this mean?

Starting with the industrial revolution in England, in the world technical and economic development, periods of dominance of 6 consecutively replacing each other TS can be distinguished, including the information TS, which has now entered the growth phase.

I way (1785–1835) arose on the basis of the development of technologies in the textile industry and the widespread use of water energy. Although at that time there were already steam engines, they were not yet widely used.

II way (1830–1890) refers to the era of accelerated development of transport (construction railways, steam shipping) and the emergence of mechanical production in all industries based on the steam engine.

III order (1880–1940) is based on the use of electrical energy in industrial production, the development of heavy engineering and the electrical industry based on the use of rolled steel, and new discoveries in the field of chemistry.

IV order (1930-1990) appeared as a result of further development of energy using oil and oil products, gas, communications, new synthetic materials. This is the era of mass production of cars, tractors, aircraft, various types of weapons, consumer goods. Computers and software for them, radars appeared and became widespread. The atom is used for military and then for peaceful purposes. Organized mass production based on conveyor technology.

V way (1985-2035) is based on achievements in the field of microelectronics, computer science, biotechnology, genetic engineering, new types of energy, materials, space exploration, satellite communications, etc. There is a transition from disparate firms to a single network of large and small companies connected by an electronic network based on the Internet, carrying out close interaction in the field of technology, product quality control, and innovation planning.

VI technological order will be characterized by the development of robotics, biotechnologies based on the achievements of molecular biology and genetic engineering, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence systems, global information networks, integrated high-speed transport systems.

Within the framework of the VI technological order, flexible automation of production, space technologies, the production of structural materials with predetermined properties, the nuclear industry, air transportation will be further developed, nuclear energy will be improved, the consumption of natural gas will be supplemented by the expansion of the use of hydrogen as an environmentally friendly energy carrier, the application of renewable energy sources.

The concept of critical technologies

Speaking at the XIX Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, the President of our state V.V. Putin has repeatedly raised the issue of technology, the technological development of the country and the formation of the technological structure of the economy. Among the “technologies important for the future”, our leader usually includes technologies used in energy, computer science and telecommunications, in basic production processes and in the field of security environment, in transport, in management processes.

In the US, EU countries and Japan, such technologies are called "critical". The main ones are listed in the table below:

№

Name of the technological direction

 Country-leader of the technological direction
1. Technologies of new materials USA
2. Microelectronic technologies Japan
3. Optoelectronic technologies USA, France
4. Laser technologies USA
5. Radioelectronic technologies USA
6. Computer techologies USA, Japan
7. Information Technology USA, Japan
8. Nuclear technologies Russia, USA, Japan
9. Industrial equipment technologies Germany
8. Space systems propulsion technologies Russia, USA
9. Energy and Energy Saving Technologies Germany
10. Technologies of special chemistry and energy-rich materials USA
11. Biotechnology Japan
12. Unique experimental base USA
13. Technologies for providing an ecologically clean living environment Japan

*The table was compiled based on the analytical review of the Association for Business, Scientific and Technical Cooperation in the Field of Mechanical Engineering, High Technologies and Conversion (MVTK Association).

As we can see, the process of development of critical technologies in different countries is different and uneven.

Some countries are advanced in technological development, hold the main technologies in their hands and secure a stable position in the international markets for finished products, both civil and military. This gives them the opportunity to dominate the world. Others are seeking to give more momentum to their national technology programs to catch up.

Being technologically advanced states, the USA and the EU countries have priority state programs for the development of "critical technologies", with the help of which the state's regulatory functions in the field of high technology development are carried out, and state financing of conceptual, basic technologies is provided.

For example, in the United States, a list of “critical technologies” is regularly formed at the level of consideration by the Congress of the country and subsequent approval by the president, and then the necessary funds are allocated from the federal budget for their development.

In accordance with the “Concept of National Technological Security” adopted in 1976 in the United States, a country must occupy a leading position in the field of a sufficiently large number of “critical technologies” in order to maintain the ability to advance to the undisputed leaders in critical areas that ensure the achievement of national strategic interests.

To carry out the necessary research in the United States, the Institute of Critical Technologies has been established and, in addition, a large-scale analytical work is carried out every two years to refine the list of selected priorities, but the main choice remains with the departments of the Ministry of Defense (Pentagon) and the Department of Commerce.

The US Congress has defined the following gradation of the importance of military critical technology systems:

  • - part one "Technologies of systems of important military technologies";
  • -part two "Technology for weapons of mass destruction";
  • -part three "Technologies under development".

For reference: in 2013, more than 1.5 thousand developments were planned for part three. Visually, it looks like 24 solid books published by the US Congress.

In science, the United States is the undisputed leader, and no one will be able to challenge them in the coming years. However, in the field of technology development and application of their results, the United States is only one of the leaders, along with Japan and the European Union, and does not have the same margin of safety as in science.

To lag behind in the development of critical technologies, which are the basis of the technological base of countries, means to lag behind in universal human progress. This is exactly what the United States and its partners are counting on when introducing a policy of technological sanctions against Russia.

General principles of technological culture

Technological culture determines the worldview, self-understanding and self-organization of modern man. After all, by universal cultures we mean systems of generally understood principles that are characteristic of a certain era and certain levels of development of scientific knowledge and technical means.

Technological culture - the fourth universal culture

The first universal culture, some features of which were restored during the study of archaeological finds and written evidence, was the mythological culture. It is inherent in all natural civilizations of antiquity. People of this culture explained the phenomena of nature, based on data from direct observations. In their lives they used functionally adapted natural products and materials.

The second universal culture, cosmological, flourished during the period of the average natural civilization. Its concept was reduced to the fact that in every phenomenon the action of the forces of nature is manifested in accordance with their inherent laws.

The concepts and definitions of the third anthropological culture are characteristic of a developed natural civilization. According to this culture, all the phenomena and patterns of the surrounding world are accessible to human understanding. Experience allows you to reveal the system essence of disparate facts and phenomena.

Active human intervention in natural processes begins. Thus was the development of the fourth universal culture. There are two factors to consider here.

The first is that human intervention in the course of natural processes takes on an unprecedented scale, becomes permanent and, if we mean the results, irreversible.

The second is the habitat of mankind - the Earth ceases to be an inexhaustible source of various resources, a kind of "horn of plenty"; the consumer attitude to the world, rooted in the minds of the "king of nature", is increasingly becoming the cause of the disorder of the natural balance, as a result, it can lead to its final violation.

Features of technological culture

Descartes' statement: "I think, therefore I am"(Cogito Ergo Sum) became evidence of progress in the European philosophy of modern times. But at the end of the XX century. the center of cultural dynamics gradually acquired a tendency to slide from spiritual culture into technological culture. This process continues to this day.

The ideologist of technological culture, Li Bo-Tsung, gives new meaning to Descartes' statement - under his influence, the statement was formulated in Chinese philosophy:

"I create, I use things and therefore I exist."

This is expressed in the fact that technology is becoming the most important factor determining the development of all spheres of culture and society as a whole - from art and mass communications to business and politics.

If the spiritual and social culture is aimed at creating ideals and values, then the technological culture focuses on what needs to be done and how.

Modern technological culture is purely rational and brings rationality to all branches of culture that use its services.

Technological culture is mostly utilitarian. Its main principle is usefulness.

Three Essential Components of Tech Culture

Technological culture consists of three main components: technology, science and engineering.

What do we know about the role of technology in technological culture?

On the one hand, technology is generated by culture and constantly receives incentives for development from the space of culture. First, culture determines the goals for which people turn to technology, apply and improve it, and, therefore, influences the choice of directions for the development of technology. Secondly, culture stores and accumulates the knowledge necessary to create and improve technology. Thirdly, culture determines the attitude of people to technology, the nature and ways of its use by people.

On the other hand, technology is a force that actively influences the entire cultural space. What is the potential of the scientific component in technological culture?

Modern technologies and their objects are very complex, which determines their high scientific and information capacity, the impossibility of their formation and development without a solid scientific base, without scientific information search.

These technologies are usually based on the latest achievements of fundamental sciences, and interact with them. Often they pose complex problems for science, which can be solved only on the basis of the integration of a number of natural, mathematical, technical and social sciences.

When they are formed, new links are established between science and technology. If earlier sciences that were adjacent in a hierarchical series interacted, now sciences that are far from each other have begun to interact.

What is the position of engineering in technological culture?

The term "engineering" is borrowed from the French (ingénierie), which in turn goes back to the Latin ingenium - mind, ability, ingenuity. In history, engineers were originally called military engineers. The concept of "civil engineer" appeared in the XVI century. in the Netherlands in relation to the builders of bridges and roads and distinguished them from military engineers.

Already from this combination came the term "civil (construction) engineering", currently common in many languages ​​of the world. It is understood as a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and operation of construction projects.

The historically traditional field of engineering culture is the invention, manufacture and operation of mechanisms, machines, building structures.

From the beginning of this profession to this day, an engineer has dealt with structures, the calculation of which is based mainly on the laws of mechanics, physics, and chemistry.

However, in the second half of the XX century. the cultural "niche" of engineering is gradually going beyond its traditional scope. One of the manifestations of this trend in modern conditions is the design of large technical systems, covering various aspects of their functioning: organizational, economic, psychological, cultural, etc. (the so-called systems engineering).

Systems engineering finally destroys the barriers that separate the engineer from other specialists - geologists, geographers, economists, cultural scientists, psychologists, physicians, etc. They are included in the development of engineering projects and, thus, begin to engage in engineering, which is increasingly becoming a means of solving problems arising in different areas of practice.

Engineering culture is also becoming necessary in the life sciences. A new area of ​​engineering is the management of environmental processes.

Structure or 5 pillars of technological culture

Concepts Definitions
Technological outlook An integral part of the scientific worldview, which is based on a system of technological views on the world (nature, society and man)
technological thinking The mental ability of a person to transformative activity to create material and spiritual values
Technology education Organized process and result of training and education in order to form readiness for transformative activities
Technological aesthetics Aesthetic attitude to the means, process and results of transformational activity
Technology Ethics The ability to assess the compliance of the created technosystems with the norms of ethical partnership

Let's take a quick look at each of these structural components.

Technological outlook is a system of technological views on the world, nature, society and man. The main provisions of the technological worldview are the following postulates.

On the modern world it is necessary to look comprehensively, perceiving it in the interconnection of the biosphere, technosphere, noosphere. Each person must be aware of the responsibility for the consequences of their actions against nature and society, and the technologies used in production should not harm a person and the natural environment.

Each person must be prepared for a harmonious existence and behavior in an information and technologically saturated world, because living in the world and not knowing it is dangerous and even criminal, and the choice of a production method should be determined not by the results of activity, but by social, economic, environmental, psychological , ethical and other factors and consequences of its application.

Technological thinking is a person's focus on transformative activities to create material and spiritual values. Technological thinking involves the search for optimal means of converting matter, energy and information into a product that people need. It implies a complex, multidimensional nature of knowledge.

The purpose of technological thinking is to cognize and change the surrounding reality in the interests of man. Goal setting is associated with the search for an answer to the question "how?", and not "what?" when creating a new object or giving it new qualities.

Technological education implies the organization of the process of education and upbringing, the result of which is the formation of a person's readiness for transformative activity.

The structure of technological education is organically made up of three modules:

  • -technological knowledge is the main indicator of a person's readiness for successful professional activity. They are based on common basic concepts of technology and in-depth study of industry technologies;
  • -technological skills are methods of transformative activity mastered by a person based on acquired technological knowledge. Technological skills must be flexible, mobile. They are formed and developed through exercises and selection of various technological operations and creative projects.
  • -technologically important qualities are the personal capabilities of a person necessary for the successful mastery of transformative activity.

The desire for constant self-education, self-organization and self-improvement is especially highly valued.

Technological ethics is an assessment of the created technosystems from the standpoint of their compliance with the norms of ethical partnership.

Technological ethics in accordance with the areas of human activity is divided into sections: bioethics, information and communication ethics, economic ethics, engineering ethics, demographic (or demological) ethics.

Technological ethics as a whole forms a comprehensive mutual responsibility for the preservation of the natural environment and man.

Technological aesthetics or design determines the aesthetic attitude of a person to the means, process and results of transformative activity, which is expressed in design knowledge, skills and abilities to transform the technological environment according to the laws of beauty.

Knowledge in the field of technological aesthetics (design) is of a purely specific nature. At present, a whole scientific direction of design has emerged, and the profession of a designer is very, very prestigious.

intermediate output

The development of the concept of "technological culture" is directly related to the need to study, analyze and influence the many negative consequences for a person and his environment of the ill-conceived, or, in other words, the barbaric use of technical means, new methods and technologies to achieve certain goals.

Thus, the intensive use by man of the latest technical systems has led to the depletion of natural resources and disruption of natural balance. These destructive actions of man threaten the very existence of life on Earth. The influence of modern technological means, that is, computers, industrial robots, controlled biological reactions and other "children" of the scientific and technological revolution, on the forces of nature not yet known to people has not yet been studied.

Thus, technological culture should be understood as such a transformative human activity in the material, spiritual and social spheres, when the main criterion for evaluating and applying new technologies and technological processes becomes their ability to ensure the harmonious interaction of man and nature, man and society, man and man.

Conclusion

All of the above allows us to conclude that technological culture is an organic part of a general culture that seeks to combine the achievements of technical and human sciences, as well as to apply integrated principles not only to study the economic, social and public space, but also to solve the problems of its active arrangement in accordance with the goals of social development and the very meaning of human existence.

Technological culture must be evaluated and analyzed as a result of modern scientific, technical and socio-economic achievements. Unfortunately, there is nothing to boast about here. Suffice it to say that the production of one food calorie in the United States consumes 10 thermal calories, and in our country - more than 23 calories.

With huge strategic resources of raw materials and energy, Russia will face an inevitable technological restructuring, which is due to the low level of modern technological culture, which makes it difficult to use these resources.

Technological culture is based on human transformative activity. It is on our knowledge, skills and creative abilities that our well-being and the further prosperity of our Motherland depend.

To be continued

Introduction

1. Technology as a cultural phenomenon

1.1 Formation and development of technological culture

1.2 Features of technological culture

2. The world of technology in the space of culture

2.1 World of technology

2.2Object and performance technique

2.3Technology and culture

2.4 Machine functions

2.5The image of technology in culture

2.6 The inconsistency of technological progress

3. Features of scientific knowledge

3.1 Scientific activity

3.2Sociocultural landmarks of science. Truth and benefit

3.3Autonomy and social control

3.4 Neutralism and social responsibility

3.5Attitude of society to science. Image of science

4. Origin and development of engineering culture

4.2 Functional structure of engineering

4.2.1 Design

4.2.2 Invention

4.2.3 Design

4.3 Scope of modern engineering

4.4Engineering of the future

Conclusion

Literature

Introduction

The topic of the essay is "Technological culture" in the discipline "Culturology".

The purpose of the work is to get acquainted with the concept of technological culture, namely:

Technology;

The world of technology in the space of culture;

Features of scientific knowledge;

The origin and development of engineering culture.


1. Technology as a cultural phenomenon

Human activity is subject, on the one hand, to biological laws, and on the other hand, to the conditions of its existence in the socio-cultural world. In animals, the goals of life activity are set "by nature" and boil down to satisfying the vital (life) needs for self-preservation, procreation, etc. The "technology" of their life activity - its mechanisms and methods - is basically genetically determined, and only to a greater or lesser extent to a lesser extent modified depending on the individual experience of the individual. In humans, over the biological, vital needs, a whole pyramid of social and spiritual needs, conditioned by the culture of society, is built up.

The concept of technology is used in the literature in different meanings. Technology may mean: a set of rules for a specific production process (“underwater welding technology”); organization of any type or branch of production, including all conditions - means, methods, procedures - for its implementation ("conveyor technology", "engineering technology"); forms and ways of using technology; application of scientific knowledge in the organization of practical activities; scientific description of any activity, its processes, means and methods. Understanding technology as the organizational side of any human activity, I use this concept in the modern, most general sense.

1.1 Formation and development of technological culture

Technological culture took its first steps in the form of myth and magic.

Further development of technological culture went in two directions. On the one hand, the volume of knowledge and skills grew, which led to their separation from mythology and magic.

On the other hand, the "material", subject inventory of technological culture expanded and improved.

Technical knowledge for a long time - up to the Renaissance - was mainly of a purely practical nature. Gradually, in this knowledge, more and more space began to be occupied by information about the properties of materials and devices used in work, about the phenomena occurring in the functioning of technical devices. Thus, the beginnings of technical science were gradually born.

But in parallel with the development of technology and special technical knowledge, another process was going on in the history of culture: the development of philosophical thinking.

In modern times, both streams of knowledge - technical knowledge that has developed in practical activities and theoretical science that has matured in the bosom of philosophy - have come close and intertwined with each other. As a result, science in its modern sense was born.

After the industrial revolution, which gave in the XVIII century. an impetus to the development of large-scale machine industry, technology is increasingly merging with science, and by the 20th century. it is thoroughly imbued with it, it becomes "scientific" in its origin.

The complication of the technology of production processes, the transformation of science into a theoretical basis for production, the need to rely on scientific knowledge in the design, construction, manufacture and operation of equipment - all this put forward the figure of an engineer to a prominent place in society.

So, technological culture consists of three main components - technology, science and engineering.

It is hardly possible in our time to recognize as justified the view that high culture is compatible with ignorance in the field of "exact" sciences and technological culture in general. The existence of technological culture as a special "niche" of the cultural space is a fact that cannot be ignored. Especially in our era, when technology, engineering and science play such an important role in the life of mankind.

1.2 Features of technological culture

1. Spiritual and social culture are focused on the "value" axis, they are united by the fact that they are aimed at creating values ​​and ideals. Technological culture is not concerned with the "value dimension" of activity.

2. From what has been said, another feature of technological culture follows: it is mainly utilitarian in nature.

3. It plays a subordinate, service role in relation to the spiritual and social culture.

4. Technological culture turns out to be a universal and indispensable condition for any cultural activity.

5. In the course of history, it evolves from mysticism to rationality.

2. The world of technology in the space of culture

2.1 World of technology

In modern scientific literature, the concept of technology began to be given an extremely general meaning: technology is understood as any means and methods of activity that are invented by people to achieve some goal. Technique is always an artifact, that is, something artificially created, invented, made by man.

2.2 Subject and performance technique

Artifacts of two kinds belong to the world of technology. Firstly, it is material, or objective, technology: a variety of tools, machines, apparatuses and other material means of human activity. Secondly, it is a performing technique, that is, a set of methods, methods of activity, skill in performing actions. It is a technique of knowledge and skills fixed in the human psyche, "inside" his body.

The natural world is the realm of blind, elemental forces. The world of technology is the realm of the mind. Everything in it is calculated in advance, provided for, planned (although, of course, miscalculations and unforeseen phenomena are possible).

Technique arises thanks to a person who, with its help, solves the problems of his life. But a person is also formed and develops thanks to the creation of technology.

So, the hand is the "mother" of all hand tools, the pattern that is copied in them. The tongs and vice are created in the image of a grasping hand. The fist turned into a hammer, the index finger with a sharp nail into a drill. Ten fingers of the hand were "projected" into the decimal number system. The camera is like the eye, and the musical organ is built like a chest with lungs, from which air exits through the larynx. The network of communications - roads, railways, steamship lines, through which goods necessary for the existence of mankind are distributed around the world - performs the same functions as the circulatory system of the body. The computer works like the human brain; microelectronics, having tried all sorts of materials, finally chose silicon as the most suitable for integrated circuits, not realizing that biological evolution had made silicon the starting material of organic bodies long before that.

Based on the fact that with the help of technology, the receipt, storage, movement, transformation of matter, energy and information is performed, they differ accordingly:

1) material processing technology (in mining, metallurgy, chemical production, mechanical engineering, light industry, agriculture, etc.),

2) power engineering (in heat, hydro, electric and nuclear power engineering, in transport, heating, refrigeration, etc.),

3) information technology (control and measuring, demonstration, computer, radio, audio and film equipment, etc.).

According to the functional characteristics can be distinguished:

1) manual technique that requires physical effort from a person,

2) mechanisms, the work of which replaces the physical labor of a person,

3) automata - self-controlled devices, partially or completely freeing a person from mental work to perform control functions.

Depending on the field of work, the equipment is used, it is divided into:

1) industrial,

2) agricultural,

3) construction,

4) printing,

5) transport,

7) management,

9) medical

10) sports,

11) educational,

12) scientific.

2.3 Technology and culture

On the one hand, technology is generated by culture and constantly receives incentives for development from the space of culture. Firstly, culture determines the goals for which people turn to technology, apply and improve it, and therefore influences the choice of directions for the development of technology. Secondly, culture stores and accumulates the knowledge necessary to create and improve technology. Thirdly, culture determines the attitude of people to technology, the nature and ways of its use by people.

On the other hand, technology is a force that actively influences the entire cultural space. Firstly, it forms the cultural habitat of a person - that artificial, artifactual "second nature" in which people live and which is the "material body" of culture. Secondly, it is a means of applying the achievements of culture (mainly science) to the solution of the material and practical problems of social life, that is, a way of responding culture to the "social order" from society. Thirdly, it creates the tools of culture - the means and methods of activity in the sphere of culture, i.e., information-semiotic activity. Fourthly, it acts as a cultural code - as one of the most important sign systems of culture, carrying a huge amount of social information!

2.4 Technology functions

The main function of technology is pragmatic: technical devices and products are created for practical use. But the properties of technical devices and products correspond specific purposes, methods, conditions of their application. In other words, technical objects contain information about their purpose and use. Therefore, along with the pragmatic technique, it also performs a semiotic function: it can be considered as a semiotic code, as a special language of culture, which, like a verbal language, can serve as a means of storing and transmitting information. It can be said that the technique taken in this regard is a gigantic accumulator of information.

2.5 The image of technology in culture

This image of technology determines the attitude of “ordinary people” towards it and its application, the prestige of the work of specialists in the field of technology, the concern of society for its improvement, and the spiritual atmosphere in which it develops.

In ancient times, people began to look at technology as a creation of the mind.

In the religious culture of the Middle Ages, technology appeared as one of the conditions of human existence established by God's plan.

The Renaissance gave a powerful impetus to the development of technology.

In the spiritual atmosphere of the Western European culture of the 19th century, an ominous image of technology as a force hostile to people is born.


2.6 The inconsistency of technological progress

Most often, the following main dangers that technical progress threatens humanity are indicated.

1. Technological progress impoverishes the spiritual life of mankind.

2. Technological progress turns a person into a slave of technology.

3. Technological progress destroys the natural basis of human existence.

4. Of particular danger is the self-destruction of mankind as a result of careless handling of nuclear technology, which has colossal destructive power.

5. Added to this is the threat of self-poisoning of humanity as a result of the use of artificially created substitutes for natural products and materials, the spread of herbicides and other "chemistry".

What to do to avoid the sad fate that awaits humanity?

There are three ways to do this:

First, the development of science and engineering.

Secondly, the development of spiritual and social culture.

Thirdly, the improvement of the management system of society.

3. Features of scientific knowledge

What is the difference between scientific knowledge and other types of knowledge? Its most important distinguishing features are:

1. The rationality of all provisions and conclusions contained in scientific knowledge.

2. Objectivity: in scientific knowledge, objective truth should be expressed in the form of personal likes and dislikes, beliefs and prejudices that is maximally cleared.

3. Reproducibility and verifiability.

4. Logical rigor, accuracy and uniqueness.

5. Logical interconnection of various elements of scientific knowledge.

In any science, there are three main types of knowledge - about objects, about problems, about methods. The first type is knowledge about objects that are studied in this science (objective or subject knowledge). The subject of this knowledge can be objects of various types - real, abstract, idealized. Knowledge about problems is the second type of scientific knowledge.

A problem is a question or problem to be solved. The statement of the problem presupposes the existence of something unknown, unknown. But at the same time, this “something” must be somehow defined, singled out, that is, there must be some preliminary knowledge about it. Thus, knowledge of the problem is knowledge of a special kind: it is "knowledge about ignorance."

3.1 Scientific activity

technology engineering science

The main activity in science is research activity aimed at obtaining new scientific knowledge. She is creative. The most important specific norms of scientific activity include the requirement that the result of it is not just knowledge that has the above signs of scientificity, but also necessarily new knowledge. If a scientist in his work simply repeats what is already known from the works of his predecessors, then his work is not recognized as scientific (although it may be useful for educational or popularizing purposes). In research activities, specific means of cognition are used - scientific terminology, instruments , tools, experimental setups.

There is a professional ethic that defines the relationship and actions of scientists. The ethics of scientific activity requires a scientist to selflessly serve the truth, self-critical evaluation of his work, references to the works of other scientists used by him, careful attention to the arguments of his opponents in scientific discussions, etc. It categorically condemns plagiarism, falsification of observations and experimental data, distortion or concealment by scientists of information that contradicts their views. Anyone who violates the ethical standards of scientific activity loses trust and respect in the community of scientists.

3.2 Sociocultural landmarks of science. Truth and benefit

The truth of the discoveries is tested by practice, finds application in the life of society.

3.3 Autonomy and social control

The general conclusion to which the trends in the development of modern culture lead is that "the very existence and development of science today is simply impossible without certain forms and norms for regulating research and scientific activity in general."

3.4 Neutralism and social responsibility

The principle of neutralism consists in the conviction that the problems of science must be separated from the problems of ideology, religion, politics, and ethics.

3.5 The attitude of society to science. Image of science

In the old days, science as a mental activity ("intellectual game") of the sages-philosophers was alien and inaccessible to the general public. The problems that the “learned men” pondered were far from the practical, economic needs of the people. Therefore, it is not surprising that in the culture of the lower strata of the population, right up to the New Age, "bookish" science was understood as "master's whim."

The Age of Enlightenment brought new colors to the image of science. Science began to be presented as a force capable of improving the life of society.

In the XIX-XX centuries. the prestige of science rises to unprecedented heights. The militarization of science during the war and the post-war arms race, especially the development of the atomic bomb, raises a wave of alarm about the growing power of science. Awareness of these problems leads to a bifurcation of the image of science in the eyes of the public: along with admiration and admiration, it causes mistrust and fear.

In contrast to scientism - the idea of ​​the necessity and beneficialness of a scientific approach to solving all the problems of people's lives, anti-scientism is gaining a growing influence in modern culture - a negative assessment of the achievements of science and their consequences, coupled with statements about its inhumanity and the need to limit its development.

4. Origin and development of engineering culture

The specificity of the engineer's activity is, firstly, that it is a practical activity. Its main goal is not to receive or give knowledge, as is done, for example, by a scientist, teacher, journalist, but to apply knowledge for some practical purposes, to make changes in reality. Secondly, engineering activity is connected with the solution of technical problems of practice. Thirdly, a feature of engineering activity (in its modern form) is that it is aimed at such technical problems, the solution of which requires scientific knowledge.

4.1 The main stages of development of engineering

Engineering from antiquity to the present goes through three main stages. These stages are also the levels of development of engineering culture.

At first, the prescription, technological aspect prevails in engineering. The engineer acts as a connoisseur of the rules and techniques of construction, mining, mechanical engineering, etc.

At the second stage, the subject aspect of engineering develops and comes to the fore. For in order to substantiate his methods, an engineer needs to know what a particular technical object is, how it is arranged, what material and what parts it consists of, what processes take place in it.

The third stage in the development of engineering is associated with the strengthening and increasing the importance of its "human" aspect, which reflects the interaction of technology with people. The transition to this stage is determined by the increasing technization of life. In modern conditions, it is especially important for an engineer to carefully and accurately assess the nature and extent of the impact of the technology he creates on a person and society.

And in art, as in engineering, design is central: like a technical project, piece of art there is a project of a reality invented by the author. Technical invention has much in common with artistic creativity. Aesthetic motives also play an important role in it - a sense of form, an emotional reaction to a beautiful, elegant solution to a technical problem.

But at the same time, there are significant differences between engineering and art. The creativity of an engineer takes place in conditions of less freedom than the creativity of an artist: the artist can build any, however fantastic, pictures of reality, while the engineer must take care of the feasibility of his projects.

A work of art (if it is truly artistic) is a value in itself. But the product of engineering activity is valuable insofar as it is needed for something. Engineering, as opposed to art, is the pragmatic aspect of culture.

4.2 Functional structure of engineering

4.2.1 Design

This is one of the most important, if not the most important, function of engineering. It, as already noted, is also its most ancient function, which arose back in primitive times. This function, in fact, became the germinal "cell" from which engineering culture began to develop.


4.2.2 Invention

The introduction of innovations in technology is a function that engineering performs along with design and in itself. It is as ancient a function as design.

4.2.3 Construction

It is aimed at making a new technical product more reliable, simpler, more economical. Along the way, there are countless difficulties that the inventor initially did not even think about.

4.3 The scope of modern engineering

The historically traditional field of engineering culture is the invention, manufacture and operation of mechanisms, machines, building structures. From the beginning of this profession to this day, an engineer has dealt with structures, the calculation of which is based mainly on the laws of mechanics, physics, and chemistry. However, in the second half of the XX century. the cultural "niche" of engineering is gradually going beyond its traditional scope.

One of the manifestations of this trend in modern conditions is the design of large technical systems, covering various issues of their functioning: organizational, economic, psychological, cultural, etc. (the so-called systems engineering).

Obviously, systems engineering destroys the partitions that separate the engineer from other specialists - geologists, geographers, economists, cultural scientists, psychologists, physicians, etc. They are included in the development of engineering projects and, thus, begin to engage in engineering. Engineering is increasingly becoming a means of solving problems that arise in various areas of practice.

By the end of the XX century. become familiar to us and such words as genetic engineering or animal engineering. In essence, along with traditional mechanical-physical-chemical engineering, bioengineering emerged as a new field of engineering activity. Two directions have already been outlined in it: on the one hand, the use of machine technology and scientific and engineering methods in biology; on the other hand, the use in industrial technology of the principles of the structure and functioning of biological organisms (bionics), and in the near future, possibly, biological tissues. Engineering culture is also becoming necessary in the life sciences. A new area of ​​engineering is the management of environmental processes.

Engineering in our time has taken an important place in medicine. Pharmaceutical engineering is commonplace. The most sophisticated laser technology is used in the treatment of eye diseases. The modern operating room is a whole technical laboratory. Moreover, technology literally enters the human body: artificial teeth, metal bones, artificial heart valves and electrical stimulators, artificial hair. There are more and more prostheses designed by engineering methods that replace parts of the body and human organs. All this is the field of medical engineering.

Engineering methods, based on the application of science to practice, increasingly permeate the solution of socio-political problems.

It can be concluded that modern engineering culture is no longer associated only with industrial production, as it was throughout its previous history.


4.4 Engineering of the future

The development of engineering culture continues. At present, the "post-classical" engineering culture is becoming universal, applicable in all spheres of human activity; it makes the entire system of scientific knowledge, including the humanities and social sciences, its theoretical base.

The path of further evolution of engineering will be connected with the fact that it will expand its theoretical base beyond the limits of science. If in the past engineering first relied on mythology, and then, after a period of close union with art, entered into a “legal marriage” with science, then there is nothing incredible that it will change orientation once again. One can put forward a hypothesis that, without leaving the soil of science, it will draw philosophy into its theoretical base.

Conclusion

In the process of doing the work, we got acquainted with the concepts of technological culture, the world of technology, the functions of technology, technical progress, scientific activity, as well as the formation and development of technological culture, areas of modern engineering, etc.

Literature

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5. Rozin V.M. Introduction to cultural studies - M., International Pedagogical Academy, 1994 - 104 p.