Technology in World Civilization: A Thousand-Year History (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pacey, a physicist turned historian, traces the myriad crucial ways by which Western technology benefited from a continuous dialogue wth Chinese, Indian and Islamic civiizations. These cultures' innovations in hydraulic engineering, the smelting of iron, the invention of guns and gunpowder, in shipbuilding, printing and the weaving of textiles all strongly influenced Western technological development. In A.D. 1100 China was the most technologically advanced region in the world. What eventually gave the West a decisive edge, notes Pacey, was the development of disciplined factory production and the organization of knowledge according to general scientific principles. The author argues that Western science today often arrogantly ignores the constraints of local conditions in the Third World, which causes great harm: e.g., preventing African herdsmen from burning grasslands, a means of controlling the sleeping sickness-carrying tsetse flies that breed there. The book is packed with information, and readers interested in technology will want to add it to their bookshelves.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A brilliant book... [Pacey] presents numerous expertly told, but brief, historical examples - many involving non-Western history - that demonstrate the subtlety, richness, and ultimate technological importance of an authentic dialogue."
—James R. Hansen, Science Books & Films --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 238 pages
• Publisher: MIT Press (MA); 1 edition (August 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262161176
• ISBN-13: 978-0262161176
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,303,563 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Technology in World Civilization, August 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Technology in World Civilization: A Thousand-Year History (Paperback)

Pacey's thesis is that technology spreads through dialogue between cultures. There are three different types of technological diffusion: when one culture simply gives another culture a technology, when one culture gives another the basic idea and the latter improves upon it, and when technology is imposed upon another culture. A good example of the first type of diffusion is when the Chinese empire came into contact with the Europeans they exchanged goods as well as information that lead to the use of gunpowder and looms in Europe. The second; when the Turks taught the Europeans how to make guns and the Europeans developed an even more powerful cannon that made it back to the Turks. And finally, the plantation farming techniques were imposed on the Africans during the colonial era, even when they thoroughly depleted the soil and required fertilizer and pesticides. The AP World History theme best reflected in Technology in World Civilization is the impact of technology and demography on people and the environment. There are hundreds of examples of this theme in Technology in World Civilization so I will list the three best ones. When the gun was invented after the Chinese spread the word about gunpowder, `gunpowder empires' began to form. The Ottoman Empire is the best example as it was built around the gun. The Ottoman Army was one of the first to fully embrace the firearm into its tactics and even trained special units called Janissaries that were trained from an early age in the ways of firearms. Another critical invention was the printing press in China. The Chinese had an incredible hunger for books and loved to read and learn. The printing press allowed the book to be accessed by many more people than ever before. The final invention that changed life more than anything else was the steam engine. At first only used to pump water out of coalmines because of its incredible inefficiency, it evolved into the force that powered factories, trains, and blast furnaces. Not only did the steam engine make it possible to produce textiles hundreds of times faster than before it united the world. Within 100 years since the popularization of the steam locomotive, tens of thousands of miles of track had been laid and nearly the entire world was accessible by rail. Pacey's thesis seems very sound based on everything he's written in Technology in World Civilization, which makes sense since he wrote the book to defend his thesis. Not having read any other books about the subject matter, I'm not the best person to attack or defend his thesis, but I will choose to defend it because I see no other logical way technology could be transferred. It could be possible that technology was brought over by middlemen who bought and sold information, however it seems that that is a relatively new concept and it didn't occur the pre-modern peoples that information is worth money. The cause and effect examples that support Pacey's thesis are very clear. If one civilization never imposed technology upon another than there wouldn't have been plantations in Africa and the indigenous peoples would still be `multistory farming'. If technology never spread through dialogue, than the Turks would be ruling the world with their superior weaponry that no nation could come close to. Pacey also has a wide variety of examples from all different cultures and eras that support his thesis. In order to prove technology is spread through dialogue, he starts by using the spread of the loom and gunpowder as examples and then moves through history all the way through the train and how it quickly spread through the entire world. Pacey's sources are very varied and never contradict each other. All the books listed in the bibliography are for specific sources and he consulted a separate book for every area of specific interest as well as several more general sources including two of his previous books. He documented every source perfectly and had a wide cross section of author nationalities as well and publishers guaranteeing that his information couldn't be biased. He also had many illustrations and a few sources that were originally from the time period or based on originals. There are few periods in time were it is excruciatingly difficult to find works of the period and many historians write books to fill in the gaps, which are referenced in Technology in World Civilization. In conclusion, Technology in World Civilization is a good read a well as a very informative book on the spread of technology. The only thing it lacked was the pre-historical spread of technology, which I hoped to learn more about. Pacey's thesis is very sound and he provide plenty of evidence to back it up as well as many maps, tables, and drawings. Every fact is documented and he has an impressive list of sources on his bibliography, from the most obscure Studies in Primitive Looms to the very broad Printing and Paper Pacey covered every subject in his book with the utmost detail. Technology in World Civilization delivers not only a lesson in World History, but also an entertaining read.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Overall Review, October 13, 2002

By	John D. Cofield - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Technology in World Civilization: A Thousand-Year History (Paperback)

Arnold Pacey has written a fine examination of the development of technology throughout the world. He does not limit himself to one area of the world ( a common failing of many Eurocentrists), nor does he go overboard in praising the accomplishments of one area at the expense of others ( something many Asiaphiles tend to do).

Pacey concentrates on the last thousand years or so. He covers the numerous accomplishments of Asia and highlights the important role played by the Mongols in linking the world. He also spends some fascinating time in the Americas, which tend to get short shrift from many historians, and draws some interesting parallels between the various "gunpowder empires" and industrial movements. The writing is clear and always interesting, with many nice drawings and diagrams.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Technology is a big picture issue, August 11, 2005

By	Richard K. Holloway (Lexington, Kentucky) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Technology in World Civilization: A Thousand-Year History (Paperback)

The book is wonderful and has technology broken down into time periods. It starts with Asian technology 700CE-1100CE, Mongols, ands it ends with the 20th century. It is illustrated for nearly every invention. The illustrations show the invention as it is used in a society. You see people in costume as well as the invention. It is certainly a disussion starter. It is a must for every AP World History teacher as well as the casual historian