In this blog post, we’ll explore whether the advancement of engineering technology is inevitably determined by the laws of nature or whether it is shaped by various choices and chance.
Many of the technologies that first appeared in the world were, in most cases, imperfect and difficult to put to practical use. Prime examples include Edison’s early lightbulb, which lasted only a day or so; the Wright brothers’ airplane, which could barely fly for a few hours and often crashed; and early computers, which—despite being composed of countless massive vacuum tubes—could perform only simple calculations. Although these technologies had no practical value at the time, they introduced new technical principles and demonstrated the potential for future development. Subsequently, technologies based on these principles advanced rapidly and were applied to everyday life; in the process, standardized methods for designing engineering products gradually took root.
Looking at this process of technological development, it appears that what shaped the current state of science and technology was the discovery of technical principles with potential, rather than the process of optimally developing and standardizing already-discovered technologies itself. This is because the latter is closer to the process of refining existing ideas. From this perspective, what is important is discovering the latent principles that exist in nature. Once such a principle is discovered, engineering advancements based on it are likely to proceed in a certain direction and are unlikely to deviate significantly from the attributes of the original technological prototype. For example, once the idea of understanding and utilizing the principle of lift emerged, attempts to build an airplane would likely follow shortly thereafter. The actual construction of an airplane can ultimately be viewed as a matter of time and technological capability. The development of modern computer technology—driven by the accumulation of knowledge about electrical phenomena and the development of semiconductor devices—can also be understood from this perspective.
Meanwhile, the sources of these fundamental technologies already exist in nature. Electrical phenomena and the principle of lift are not human inventions but laws inherent in nature, and humans cannot alter their inherent properties. While we may discover new natural phenomena, it is impossible to arbitrarily alter the laws of nature themselves. Thus, these principles already existed and were simply waiting for the moment when humans would recognize them. In that sense, the fundamental principles that form the basis of engineering technology can also be viewed as having been inevitably predetermined. From this perspective, technological development appears to follow a certain inevitable path based on the laws inherent in nature.
This inevitability of technological development becomes increasingly evident the closer we go back in history. Even in eras when communication and transportation were underdeveloped and travel between regions was extremely difficult, there were numerous instances where similar technologies emerged independently in civilizations far apart from one another. The use of the wheel, the application of arch structures, and the development of gunpowder all evolved independently in different regions. Of course, while there were differences in timing and specific forms depending on the civilization, the basic principles of these technologies can be considered essentially similar.
However, it remains questionable whether there was absolutely no possibility of science and technology existing that was completely different from what we have today. There are certainly aspects of technological development that involve human choice and decision-making. Even if natural phenomena themselves are predetermined, there are a wide variety of possibilities regarding how to apply them to create engineering outcomes. For example, lift can be realized in various forms, such as airplanes and helicopters, and electrical phenomena have also evolved into diverse engineering outcomes through technologies like semiconductors, transistors, and batteries. Such engineering designs can take many forms, and technologies that have already become established standards can influence the direction of future technological development or limit new options. These formal aspects can vary significantly depending on the era and environment. Therefore, it is difficult to conclude that current engineering outcomes represent the absolutely optimal form.
In modern times, the discovery of entirely new natural phenomena in engineering has become rarer than in the past.
In various fields of engineering—such as mechanical engineering, materials engineering, and biotechnology—efforts are focused less on discovering new laws of nature and more on refining existing technologies and integrating them with one another. Under these circumstances, it is difficult to assume that there is a single, predetermined path for the advancement of engineering technology. Countless possibilities exist through diverse combinations of technologies, and each development process can establish new standards that influence the direction of future technological progress.
The smartphone is a prime example of this modern technology. It is the result of various existing technologies being integrated into a single device. The form of the smartphone is determined by how and in what structure these technologies are combined. Such designs can take a wide variety of forms, and in the future, it is possible that an entirely different engineering product—not a smartphone—will perform current functions even more efficiently. Therefore, modern inventions such as smartphones can be viewed not as outcomes that inevitably emerged solely from the laws of nature, but rather as the result of various technologies being combined in specific ways. Because smartphones are now widely adopted and have become the de facto standard, related technologies continue to advance; as a result, it is difficult to conceive of viable alternatives. However, various engineering technologies can continue to be combined in new ways, and an innovative product that emerges by chance could serve as a catalyst to significantly alter the direction of future technological development.
As science and technology have become more sophisticated, technological development has evolved from the stage of discovering and applying natural phenomena to the stage of complexly integrating various existing engineering technologies. The key question now is which technologies can come together to create new forms of engineering outcomes. At this stage, it is difficult to identify a clear, inevitable path of development as was the case in the past. Rather, as the convergence of diverse technologies combines with human choice, engineering technology appears poised to continue evolving amid a vast array of complex and diverse possibilities.
