Han And Roman Views Toward Technology

Two of the strongest Classical Civilizations were The Han Dynasty and Roman Civilization. Both civilizations influenced large regions in countries such as Asia and Europe. They made advancements in politics, art, literature, and more. Furthermore, the Han Dynasty and Roman Civilization made notable progress in technology. Many people had different views towards this. Social classes, position in government, and amount of education are what based differences in attitudes towards technology. Because of this, some upper-classes saw technology as being helpful, while others did not appreciate it. The educated philosophers wanted to improve the lifestyle of people by inventing things that would produce more at a greater speed. However, there were some who did not agree that technology was significant. Lastly, government officials, just like educated philosophers, had mixed views.

The upper-classes in the Han Dynasty, for the majority, saw technology as an important part in assisting with labor and creating a positive impact, while the Romans perceived it as not being as important. In document 1, a Han government official is writing to local officials concerning flooding caused by the Yellow River. He is in favor of technology in order to prevent future floods on both sides of each river. Although, not all

upper class Hans were in favor of technology, such as Huan Guan, a government official. He felt that the tools made today were inferior to the ones manufactured by individual families in the past (document 2). Because the tools that they are using today are provided by the state, using convict labor, the quality is poor. He also mentions that because the state has monopolized the salt and iron trades, it has caused the prices to rise dramatically and leaving the common people unable to afford to buy them. There were upper class Romans who thought of technology as being both positive and negative. Plutarch, an upper class Roman citizen, appreciates technology (found in document 6). He explains the tedious detail in the roads and bridges, and shows great satisfaction in them. He describes how technology has made roads to improve the daily life for people who have money, in Rome. Cicero, and upper-class Roman political leader, seems to downplay technology in document 5. He describes hired work as "degrading" and that, "craftsmen spend their time in vulgar occupations." Cicero is undecided about technology because he is an upper-class citizen who has people below him (slaves) to do the work. Therefore, he perceives technology as less important than some other Romans did. In general, the Hans and Roman upper-classes viewed technology differently. The Romans viewed technology as only helping the rich, while the Hans thought it should help all people.

Well educated philosophers' ideas of technology tended to differ among the Romans and Hans. The Han philosophers started with a simple invention, such as the pestle and the mortar, to crush, grind, and mix solid substances. Then, this was improved by using the power of animals to increase the efficiency. Finally, with the technology of water power, the benefit was increased dramatically (found in document 3). This document confirms that the upper-class Han philosophers saw technology as an advantage. However, Roman philosophers, unlike the Han's,