It is very common for us to hear that technology dehumanizes us, that is, that it strips us of the characteristics that make us human. But _**what is technology?**_  _**And does it make us less human?**_

We relate the word "Technology" with very new things, usually electronic but it is a very old concept. "Technology" is a word with Greek roots, τεχνολογία, formed by téchnē (τέχνη, art, technique or trade, which can be translated as dexterity) and logía (λογία, the study of something).

Technology is the knowledge applied to the solution of a problem or the improvement of some human capacity. The application of technology allows us, for example: to move further and faster. Apply more force with less effort, see distant things as if they were close and small things see them great, make our voice reach far and listen to what is far away. Remember things we could forget, invent new technologies. Even the most humble and rustic inventions are technological applications. So _**does a pencil, a bicycle, a computer or a video game dehumanize us?**_

![technology-2082642_1280.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRozPudbkP7W8Vc3YyQWpR5ZYdD38NkGDWy7ur5zNH66w/technology-2082642_1280.jpg)
[Source](https://pixabay.com/es/tecnolog%C3%ADa-informaci%C3%B3n-digitales-2082642/)

First we would have to ask ourselves: _**What do we humans have that other beings have not very developed?**_

To start unlike other animals that adapt to their environment or perish in them, humans are able to adapt the environment to our needs or tastes. _**Is that what makes us human?**_ ... The discussion is philosophical and profound, but we can agree on some characteristics that human beings have developed more:

* **The reasoning,** closely linked to a complex language that allows us to think and communicate abstract ideas. Thanks to language, we can discuss past events, possible futures, even imaginary ones. Language itself is a technology, and writing, which allows us to preserve ideas for future generations, is also a technology.

![Complejidad.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQ1zpFs9tQSvGCrBPiV4iay6NB4pKHe669R1q2PEiwYAA/Complejidad.jpg)
[Credits of the image](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Complejidad.jpg) _by Jeny Jataco Pérez_

* **The moral and the law.** To agree more or less on what we should do and what we should not do. _**Did you know that one of the first examples of writing history is the Hammurabi code?**_ It is a set of laws written in Babylon around the year 1700 BC.

![5952070337_1d28ed8489_n.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTjNJh2dGC5riaZL1hWj9brCufC1EFYV7Xid3reH3nxzT/5952070337_1d28ed8489_n.jpg)
[Credits of the image](https://www.flickr.com/photos/gemmerich/5952070337) _by Greg Emmerich_

* **The art.** These activities that allow us to express and share emotions and ideas, such as dance, theater, painting and sculpture, are deeply associated with applications of technology.

![Arte_por_la_Paz_en_el_Museo_Malvinas_(16393723434).jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmUzDhFErB4hgNpnGFpoaXo353HjkANfgUQPxkpJmPEtSj/Arte_por_la_Paz_en_el_Museo_Malvinas_(16393723434).jpg)
[Credits of the image](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arte_por_la_Paz_en_el_Museo_Malvinas_(16393723434).jpg) _by Ministry of Culture of the Argentine Nation_

* **War.** We are the only species that, thanks to the technologies to kill, is capable of extinguishing itself.

![Batalla_de_Murrieta_en_San_Pedro_Abanto_(Segunda_parte_de_la_Guerra_Civil._Anales_desde_1843_hasta_el_fallecimiento_de_don_Alfonso_XII).jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWiGfw6ajRn9QNTc5gXmMcDuq3jtjkxEGnBNdr42z5CTz/Batalla_de_Murrieta_en_San_Pedro_Abanto_(Segunda_parte_de_la_Guerra_Civil._Anales_desde_1843_hasta_el_fallecimiento_de_don_Alfonso_XII).jpg)
[Credits of the image](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Batalla_de_Murrieta_en_San_Pedro_Abanto_(Segunda_parte_de_la_Guerra_Civil._Anales_desde_1843_hasta_el_fallecimiento_de_don_Alfonso_XII).jpg) _University of Seville_

So, it turns out that technology is the one that has humanized us, for better or for worse. But in the end, it is not the technology itself that transforms us, but the use we make of it since it is only capable of enhancing our own abilities.

As the German scientist and writer [Georg Christof Lichtenberg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Christoph_Lichtenberg) said, _"That had the effect that good books usually have. It made the fools more fools, cleverer the clever ones and the remaining thousands were unharmed. "_

Neither the best word processor can make us good writers, nor the scientific calculator will not make us very intelligent mathematicians, a sophisticated drawing tablet will not make us artists.

![laptop-iphone-notebook-black-and-white-technology-monochrome-1174754-pxhere.com (1).jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmV3kzXFrkZGK6Qy8sQH8kjnaAcdFJY6mzycqVDXKyrHgs/laptop-iphone-notebook-black-and-white-technology-monochrome-1174754-pxhere.com%20(1).jpg)
[Source](https://pxhere.com/es/photo/1174754)

Finally, technology allows us to do more effectively, efficiently and accurately what we already know how to do, so the best way to take advantage of technologies is to develop everything we can do without them.

### If you liked this article, you can follow me and have a look at my blog @jlmol7

#### Here I will leave some links as additional material or if you wish to delve a little deeper into the subject.
* https://www.totalphase.com/blog/2017/05/impact-technology-lives-future-technology/
* https://www.babble.com/tech/7-ways-technology-has-changed-our-lives-forever/
* https://www.useoftechnology.com/technology-today-tomorrow/
* http://mydailyalerts.com/positive-negative-effects-technology-lives
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology
* https://www.bartleby.com/essay/The-Influence-of-Technology-on-Our-Lives-PKS62RATJ