The Human Society

This chapter discusses the social aspects of engineering design. Each new discovery or technological advance influenced the growth of a society in subtle and sometimes far-reaching ways. The polished stone axe permitted the clearing of forest, encouraging the spread of settled communities. The invention of the plough and the sickle enabled men to farm larger areas, grow more food, and support larger populations with more time available for leisure and the pursuit of the arts and sciences. All of the technological advances in man's history occurred because they promised some increased ability or improvement in his way of life. Stability can be reached when there occurs a balance of power between those that control capital, the technostructure, and those groups responsible for fostering and protecting human resources.