The Nature of Technology

The first and definitive analysis of the fundamental questions about technology: what exactly is the technology we rely on? How is it changing our lives? And is this technology effectively creating itself?

Explores the extraordinary way in which the technology that surrounds us and allows us to live our modern lives has actually been developed. With examples, from laser printers to powerplants, the author reveals how our own problem-solving skills and creative vision can evolve alongside these technologies.

In The Nature of Technology, ground-breaking economist W. Brian Arthur explores the extraordinary way in which the technology that surrounds us and allows us to live our modern lives has actually been developed. Rather than coming from a series of one-off inventions, almost all the technology we use today comes from previous developments: these technologies are not being created, but are instead evolving.

With fascinating examples, from laser printers to powerplants, Arthur reveals how our own problem-solving skills and creative vision can evolve alongside these technologies, and how this understanding can even improve our understanding of the wider world.