Assignment 3 

S Aryaman Shrey 
2018111030 
 
 
 
Technology has historically been reduced to a view from the 
perspective of applied scientific knowledge. This perception is 
known as the “linear thesis”. How is it that we have structures that 
have been erected before the advent of modern science, if we 
were to limit ourselves to this lens. 
 
What is the classical definition of knowledge? It is believed to be 
the justification of true beliefs. But a look at technology around 
us, gives rise to the fact everybody irrespective of their beliefs 
have knowledge of technology. 
 
What is science? Science in the modern sense, is the “theoretical 
knowledge of natural phenomena”. The ancient philosophical 
doctrine of induction served as the basis for science, as in - one 
starts void of preconceived notions , collects empirical results of 
unbiased experiments and draws cautious references from the 
findings. However, this seems like a paradox. To infer from 
something, you must have some knowledge of that and this 
knowledge serves as the basis of conclusions drawn. 
 
Planned perception is observation, which is to have some priori to 
derive the posteriori. This is where science and technology take 
their own paths - technology is more about observation than 
perception. How is that people working in factories with minimal 
scientific literacy, able to piece together wonders of technology? 
 
Karl Popper, an influential philosopher had an objective approach 
to observationist knowledge. Knowledge should be impersonal 
and should be considered as a set of laid down non psychological 
theories that can be presented to the public. 
 
This objective approach to knowledge helps explain historical 
facts as to how a scientifically illiterate man can assemble 
together an intricate machine like the steam engine all when there 
wasn’t much scientific discussions revolving around the 
applications of heat for work, as it abstracts its workings away 
from its genesis which results in an independent scrutiny. In fact 
this led to a famous quote “The steam engine has done much 
more for science than science has done for the steam engine.”1 
 
The notion of technical knowledge was further extended by 
Subrata Dasgupta, who considered technology to be a 
heterogenous encompassing of basic sciences, engineering, 
mathematics, etc. That what governs the evolution of 
technological knowledge is the knowledge of operational 
principles.  
 
Operational principles are the conceptual framework that lead the 
path for the creation or manipulation of artefacts along with their 
implementations. They are independent of any subjective entities. 
This is how by employing operational principles can illiterate 
workers are able to find patterns or unwritten qualities pertaining 
to their task. Only when one applies the knowledge of how forms 
and materials behave and perform can one truly understand and 
appreciate technical artefacts, for the knowledge of technology 
lies in an observatory realm which is out of reach to the 
preceptory definition of traditional knowledge. 

1
A quote by Lord Kelvin