by Schwiedland
[Title Page and Publication Details]: Title page and publication information for Eugen Schwiedland's work on technology, natural knowledge, and economy, originally published in the General Engineering Gazette in Vienna, 1911. [The Nature of Technology and Science]: Schwiedland introduces technology as the purposeful mastery of nature through rules and knowledge. He distinguishes between science (discovery of laws) and technology (invention and creation), noting that while science provides theory, technology often precedes it through practical mechanical design and the organization of materials and forces. [The Relationship Between Technology and Economic Entrepreneurship]: The author explores the hierarchy between economic goals and technical means, arguing that the entrepreneur (Wirtschafter) ultimately decides the application of technology based on profitability rather than technical elegance. He describes the inherent tension between the technical ideal of the engineer and the economic ideal of the accountant, where the survival of the enterprise depends on the latter. [Technological Progress and Social Transformation]: Schwiedland analyzes how technological innovations, particularly in transportation and communication, have fundamentally reshaped society by enabling mass production, specialization, and global competition. He argues that the drive for economic efficiency and the pressure of free competition force the adoption of new technologies, making technology both a tool for enrichment and a power that compels constant human effort.
Title page and publication information for Eugen Schwiedland's work on technology, natural knowledge, and economy, originally published in the General Engineering Gazette in Vienna, 1911.
Read full textSchwiedland introduces technology as the purposeful mastery of nature through rules and knowledge. He distinguishes between science (discovery of laws) and technology (invention and creation), noting that while science provides theory, technology often precedes it through practical mechanical design and the organization of materials and forces.
Read full textThe author explores the hierarchy between economic goals and technical means, arguing that the entrepreneur (Wirtschafter) ultimately decides the application of technology based on profitability rather than technical elegance. He describes the inherent tension between the technical ideal of the engineer and the economic ideal of the accountant, where the survival of the enterprise depends on the latter.
Read full textSchwiedland analyzes how technological innovations, particularly in transportation and communication, have fundamentally reshaped society by enabling mass production, specialization, and global competition. He argues that the drive for economic efficiency and the pressure of free competition force the adoption of new technologies, making technology both a tool for enrichment and a power that compels constant human effort.
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