This week's theme covered the historical evolution of mankind and societies generally. The readings provided an insight into how technological development in society may be attributed to a variety of factors and the reasons for the disparity in levels of advancement between societies.
Amongst the various reasons promulgated are that given of innate biological differences, geographical location and climate, as well as the explanation that because the Europeans first possessed the "guns, nastiest germs and steel", this allowed their conquest over the Africans and Aboriginals.
Interesting observations and ideas
It was interesting to reflect and consider the reasons behind the existent disparity in material wealth and development between societies in today's context. I had never really gave it much thought previously, and had not realized the extent of the existence and practices of Aboriginal people in our modern world.
It was especially enlightening reading Jared Diamond's writings on his perception of the Africans of Papua New Guinea - how he believed them to actually be more intelligent, alert, expressive and adept at handling situations which reflect brain functions, than Westerners are. This challenges ingrained preconceptions that many harbour towards Africans - a mindset steeped in racial prejudices - that Africans are somehow of an inferior species to "White people".
It was also an eye-opener to read and learn about how man, in the industrialized states at least, got to the current level of development and standard of living, from a time when they were mere hunter-gatherers. This occurred gradually throughout history, through discovery of agriculture and later on, the occurrence of the Neolithic revolution which saw widespread domestication of animals (which greatly expanded the options for food and clothing).
Key take-away points
1. Technology is not merely the study of internet technology and electronics, but encompasses the entire concept of how mankind goes about his daily lives - the tools we use, the processes we invent, etc.
2. There is no one certain and uncontroversial answer to the question Yali posed to Jared Diamond, which he muses about in his book 'Guns, Germs and Steel', "why have some people/societies been able to generate so much technology and wealth while others remain relatively backward?". A combination of factors may have brought about the existential state of affairs in disparate levels of development. Certainly, this existential state of affairs cannot be solely attributed to any intrinsic or extrinsic biological differences. Hence this challenges any justification for the conception of Africans/Aboriginals being an inferior race to White people.
3. From the reading on the development of science and technology in the Middle East, I realize that often, it may not be a matter of intelligence or capabilities which determine a society's state of technological advancement, rather it could be traced to a simple ill-perceived decision which ultimately set the stage for defeat and conquest in the industrialization race.
Personal rating on session
On a scale of 0 to 10, I would rate the class an 8. There was a wide coverage of issues relating to the question of the disparity in technological advancement between societies. The use of video clips also broke up the monotony of the lesson and made it more interesting.
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