Our Obsolete Technology Mentality

Some institutionalists mistakenly believe that technology defines progress, that is, that technology is the sole agent of progress, that it is a universal process, and that it always is progressive. This view inhibits communication. Many people who do not have this obsolete technology mentality continue to use "technology," "technological," and "instrumental" interchangeably. When this is done, it confuses the audience and makes it difficult to discriminate between outmoded and merely sloppy analysis. When institutionalists say that technology defines progress, they mean to say that the instrumental process defines progress. Since people occasionally tend to discover new and better ways to get things done, the instrumental process is universal, even though technology that is current in one culture may or may not be appropriate for another culture. It does not follow that the instrumental process is the only source of progress.