Definition of "technology"

The word "technology" defines the branch of knowledge that is concerned with the creation of tools, whether they be necessary or luxuries. Humans use technology to dominate, control, and make habitable their physical can be simple or complex, as the definition of the word covers all types of tools, from stick-spears to iPhones.

Scientists believe that the use of technology originated with our ancestors, the primates. They use sticks to spear ants, rocks to crack open seeds and dig for tubers, and leaves to make beds, umbrellas, even small "dolls." Macaques have been observed using strands of human hair to floss.

Humans' tools are much more complex. We use metal, plastic, and wood to fill a variety of needs, from shelter to transportation to climate control to toys. Without our modern technology, our culture would not exist. We have, however, paid steep prices: global warming, deforestation, and extinction of lesser life forms are merely a few. Our comfortable lifestyles have allowed for explosions in the human population, resulting in famine and epidemics from poor political policies and overcrowding. To continue to survive as a species, we must adapt our technology and policies to this rapidly changing world.