Top Invention of the 19th Century? Invention.

In Chapter Three of Technopoly, Postman looks at how we shifted from being a Technocracy into a Technopoly: what precipitated it, and what it changed. Prior to the machine, we were a society that made with tools. There were small shops that made artifacts by hand, and we lived as humans.

With the advent of machined mills in the 19th Century and Taylor’s work in the early 20th Century,  man moved toward being subservient to machine. As Postman puts it, a calculator never makes mistakes, the careless human does. If we could only be machine-like, then our lives would be more productive and efficient. From a Technopolist viewpoint, our lives would be better if we were more like our machines.

While I think this is all very interesting, I want to focus on a point that he makes which is more fundamental and perhaps a little easier to overlook: the greatest invention of the 19th Century was invention.

With an explosion that has never ceased, from the light bulb, telegraph, telephone, computer and on, we live in an era that is filled with invention. We are so surrounded by it that we often see it as common place. Right now I’m watching and reading articles on “tablet wars” which started with the Apple iPad. As other manufacturers jump in and adapt, we’re seeing a technological arms race that is redefining interfaces and media for us…but we mostly see the shiny screens and the technical specifications.

I think Postman is right. Ideologically, we’ve come to expect and, consequently, need invention. It’s probably something we wouldn’t think about unless it suddenly disappeared. Our machines help us invent better machines. The cycle is exhilarating, but it is also vicious. Invention is one of the cornerstones of a technopoly. I think I know where Postman is going with it, but we’ll have to wait and see for now.

In the meantime, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying screen printing. It’s been theraputic to print, work with chemicals, get ink under my nails and not stare at a laptop screen.