The Influence Of Technology In The Middle Ages

Personally, when thinking of the middle Ages, I tend to have the misconception that it is a period of darkness with no progress. However, R.W. Southern’s book, ‘The Making of the Middle Ages’, offers an in depth study of the development of history in the world today. Observing that this book was published during the 1950s, Mr. Southern’s interpretation of the ‘Middle Ages’ was very distinctive in comparison to other historians of his time. He explores the significance of the Middle Ages as a separate sector in the study of history by which the audience will notice that previous categories of studied history is set aside, as we are no longer focusing on the usual ‘Classical Greece’ and ‘Rome’

In regard to the rest of the postclassical world, Western Europe was well behind politically, economically and technologically. It chose to adapt the advancements of other civilizations rather than creating its own. Yet because of their geographical position and lack of political unity, Western Europe was not required to be as advanced as the rest of the postclassical world. Instead, Western Europe was defined by a desire to emulate the Roman Empire, Christian authority, learning and philosophy and political and economical systems based on relations between different classes.

Despite the collapse of the Roman Empire, Europe still stood, separating into two different areas, governed two different ways. Western Europe and the Byzantine Empire had very different government structures. The Western half became Western Europe with popes, and princes ruling at that time. The Eastern half became The Byzantine

During the period of 1492 to 1750, Europe experienced drastic changes during their Age of Discovery. As a result of contact and colonization, Western Europe’s economy, political, social, and military systems changed, but also maintained certain aspects that enabled them to build strong civilizations. Such changes include increased (international) trade routes, more centralized governments such as monarchies, decreased unifying influence of the Catholic Church, and increased interest in military conquest and expansion.

After the fall of Roman Empire, Europe fell under the rule of many different leaders. The eastern side of the empire became the Byzantine Empire, which grew in strength and prospered in the many years after its formation. The western side, on the other hand, did not. The Germanic Kingdoms that formed on that land quickly fell under attack by barbarians. From 400 A.D. to 1400 A.D, this side of Europe fell into a "Dark Age". A lack of government, barbarian attacks, and a decline in education made the "Dark Ages" a time of cultural decay for Europe.

Towards the end of the Middle Ages era Europe made technological advances and continued to grow as a community. Gray C. Boyce in his excerpt from “The Medieval Period” describing the middle ages, argues, “Even at its worst it performed the function of guarding, frequently by accident and chance, the knowledge and treasures of what had come before, but even more it was creative and inventive, and transmitted to later ages great riches of its own,”. The author is proving that although Europe was indeed imperfect like most things, it was exceptional as well. The author is making the point that even during the worst times it was protective, creative, and knowledgeable. All of the attributes the author described are what made Europe so successful, and shows the reader that Europe was a prosperous, creative, and successful community.

Technological advances during the period 1450-1750, or the Renaissance Era, were major influences to the way of life seen today. The ships, tools for traveling, especially the ones made Portugal and Spain all Impact society today, allowing for the age of exploration to emerge. All these tools proved prosperous but known more important than the printing-press independently developed in Germany by Johannes Gutenberg. Germany before this time was divided, in other words not a country yet, but divided into a city-state format, different provinces ruled by a king under an interregnum. Also, before this era Germany was still under the Holy Roman Empire, in other words Catholic in their Religion. The impact that this new technology produced in

The Medieval Machine by Jean Gimpel, shows information about the technological accomplishments of the middle Ages. The basic idea is that during the two centuries from around 1050 Western Europe went through a kind of industrial revolution that was just as important as of the nineteenth century’s.

In comparison to the Islamic world, China, India and the Byzantine Empire, European technology was more progressive. Their knowledge of newfound technology techniques was mainly borrowed from other civilizations. They adapted to these new techniques rather than developing them. From 600 to 1,450 C.E in Western Europe, the use of military techniques remained the same while innovations in agricultural techniques changed extensively.

Techno-optimist or techno-pessimist? That is the question. Technology throughout time has no doubt changed our way of life. Travelling to destinations quicker, curing new diseases, or figuring out how to cease a wide famine are examples of how technology has made advances over time. The solutions that scientists create spark a tool that others cannot live without. But what if these technologies bring out negative effects rather than their desired purpose? Sometimes, innovators create new inventions that bring unintended consequences. It could range from less communication face to face, side effects from new medicines, or pollute the earth’s atmosphere.

As long as there have been people in this world, technology and science have existed. Technology is a powerful force which helped in the development of civilization and is a part of our system of culture that reflects its values. Technology has become very complex over the years and today it is known to be a social enterprise that includes all aspects such as research, design, finance, manufacturing, labor etc.

Technological advances have certainly entered this era to facilitate people’s lives. There is no doubt that some new technology has been created to help operate or effectively manage time in a way that would be beneficial to humans. Technology significantly helps a number of people. A group that greatly benefits with the advances of technology is teenagers. Teens constantly use computers for schoolwork, networking, or knowing anything they want to know with a simple use of their fingertips. Furthermore, with the advances it is no longer needed to leave the household to run an errand such as going out to pay a bill or do some shopping. As technology advances and enters the life of mostly all humans many begin to question how healthy these technological advances truly are. A couple of decades ago kids spent their time outside playing with their friends by the same token with items that did not require the use of electricity. Kids and adolescents would dedicate at least a part of their day to reading books and gaining knowledge from there instead of social media. Distinctively today’s adolescents instead of reading books will go on the internet for a summary and inform themselves in less than 5 minutes, spent their time inside playing video games or on their cellphones allowing technology to be the only thing they know and rely on to have fun or be informed. Moreover, this guides us to the points Ray Bradbury makes in his novel Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury touches on several

The story I read was Three Questions, and it’s in a setting similar to the Middle Ages, the main difference seems to be the absence of technology. My life would change since I would need to spend more time doing housework during the day, for instance, I wouldn’t be able to start the laundry or dishwasher and do something else while waiting. Furthermore, the characters travel by foot or horse, meaning I would have to work closer to home since I wouldn’t have a vehicle to commute quickly. Lastly, I wouldn’t likely know what our county’s and community’s leaders would look like. In the story, the main character is a king and he is able to pass as a commoner by simply dressing like one. In today’s world, we all know what our elected officials and

Western civilization can be traced back to the Western Mediterranean and Western Europe. It has been linked by many Historians to the Roman Empire, as well as with Medieval Western Christendom which came out of the Middle Ages in order to experience transformative ideas such as the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment. On the surface it may seem that there are abundant reasons to why Western Civilization was able to develop and grow during the Middle Ages. But ultimately it comes down to three main reasons Western Civilization in the Middle Ages was able to grow so rapidly. With all of this said, In order to truly understand how Western European Civilization was able to flourish and grow during the Middle Ages, one must look at the role of the Church during these times, how war and conflict shaped territories, and how disease and famine changed the world. First, during the Medieval Ages the Catholic Church was able to rise to one of the most powerful institutions in Europe. Second, wars such as the Crusades where the Catholic Church began to start military expeditions, otherwise known as Crusades, to kick Muslims out from what they considered the Holy Land. Finally, diseases such as the Black Death changed the way people during the Western Civilization acted and felt.

Technology has changed so many of the ways in which we live our lives, from the invention of the wheel to the advanced systems we use and take for granted everyday. Technology was once taboo in most house holds while people still clung to the idea that life was built on life experiences. Nicholas Carr stated in, Is Goggle making us stupid? "Back in the fourth century, BCE, Plato complained that writing (then a fairly new technology) was destroying peoples memory, yet he wrote dozens of books. For half a century, television has been accused of rotting our brains and making us fat and lazy, but most people depend on it for info, news and entertainment." Technology has changed our understanding of the way things work and