Depending on who you ask or what you research, there are several ages of technology. Some say that there are currently 9 ages of technology, while others say that there are 7. Depending on how you perceive technology, this could ultimately affect your opinion.
If you believe in evolution and look at how we have progressed over the millennia, we can certainly see significant advancements in how our primitive brains developed. Is there a science behind hunting and gathering that our Neanderthal ancestors used to survive? Maybe it was that more instinct than technology? It is important to understand what technology truly is to understand what it means.
What is Technology?
Generally speaking, technology is the application of scientific knowledge to find answers to fix problems. If we identify the term technology as this principle, then every new idea that generates could be considered technology. Looking back at how the first evolutionary humans gathered and prepared food, may possibly be an advancement in technology.
The First Computer
When we use the term “technology” in the 21st century, one of the first things that come to mind is the computer. If we take a look at the history of the computer, we learn that the abacus was the first computer from Babylonia in 2400 BC.
It wasn’t until the 19th century when an English mathematics professor named Charles Babbage designed the Analytical Engine. Although Babbage invented this computer, he never actually built it, but this invention is the basic framework that all computers of today are based on.
The 4 Ages of Technology
In my opinion, there are really only 4 ages of technology that truly revolutionized the world we live in today.
Agrarian Age – 4000 BC to 1700 AD
The Agrarian Age revolutionized the way food was gained through planting crops and breeding livestock. Parchment was first used and writing became more common, thus the birth of documentation and record-keeping, and then there was the art of warfare that included the invention of gunpowder, and eventually came discovery and colonization.
Industrial Age – 1700 AD to 1960 AD
It wasn’t until the 20th century toward the end of the Industrial age did we begin seeing true computer technology, with the development of the Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC) in 1943. It was the first true computer that operated without any mechanical moving parts. Since the building of the ENIAC, technology advanced rapidly. Including the development of nuclear weapons and 24 years later, the moon landing.
Information Age – 1960 AD to 2030 AD
Today we live in the Information Age. After the moon landing in 1969, technology developed at an incredible rate. We now have devices that make our lives easier and are truly automating our most common tasks. Technology has advanced more in the past 50 years than it had in the past 2000 years. How was this possible? Did humans develop that quickly or did we have some help getting there? I may need to address that question in a future post.
In about 10 years we can expect the Information Age to come to an end.
Nanotechnology Age 2030 AD to 2300 AD
The nanotechnology age will be a new dawn for technology breakthroughs, like a true cure for cancer, solutions for world hunger, and biological printers. Nanotechnology exists today, but it doesn’t even come close to what we will be able to do a hundred years from now.
In Conclusion
There are 4 Ages of Information, with the Information Age being the forefront of true technological advancement. Our great-grandchildren may look back at our technology and be amazed at how far we have come and how it is catapulting us into the future. No matter how we attained it.