Technology is the use of knowledge to achieve practical goals in a repeatable manner. The term technology can also refer to the products of such endeavors, which can include both tangible things like utensils or machinery and intangible ones like software. Technology is essential in science, engineering, and daily life.
Technological breakthroughs have resulted in substantial societal transformations. The earliest known technology is the stone tool, which was employed throughout prehistoric times, followed by fire control, which led to the development of the human brain and language during the Ice Age. The wheel’s invention in the Bronze Age enabled greater travel and the development of more complicated machinery. More recent technological advancements, such as the printing press, telephone, and Internet, have reduced communication barriers and ushered in the information economy.
While technology promotes economic progress and increases human prosperity, it can also have negative consequences such as pollution and resource depletion, as well as societal problems such as technical unemployment caused by automation. As a result, philosophical and political arguments regarding the role and use of technology, its ethics, and measures to offset its drawbacks continue.
