Hi, Murali.

Thanks for your posting. I wanted to add some comments on a couple of points that are related to some of the things that were discussed in the SII course on technology that just ended: "...This same principle is what makes me not worry about the theory behind microwave ovens. As long as a 'system' satisfies a person's utilitarian ends he will most probably not invest energy in trying to figure out its parts. The abstractions that he deals with is all that is needed. The problem with this situation is that unlike olden times, science has advanced really deeply in to many fields and the inevitable 'pockets of knowledge' have created enormous chasms between 'system creators' and 'system users' in terms of knowing how stuff works. In a lot of cases it is virtually impossible to 'know' how stuff works because it might need years of study." Clearly, one can benefit greatly from technology without having a clue as to what's behind it. However, if you do know what's behind it or if you are at least willing to think about what might be behind it, technology can be used as a tool to increase our sense of connection to the universe that science has uncovered. One of the activities we went through in the technology class involved looking at a piece of technology and tracing its history back to its raw materials and beyond, to the creation of the raw materials themselves. In another activity, we brainstormed about all the processes and principles of nature that a product of technology reminded us of. We talked about the needs or desires that different technologies address and about what it says about our universe that those needs and desires exist and can be at least partially satisfied by tools that we create. Technology can be a valuable tool in science integration, if we encourage people to think about what's behind it. Most people's most direct interaction with the results of science is through technology. Although people may find science abstract and detached from their lives, few people in our society would say that about technology. The high tech tools that we use in daily life demonstrate that science describes the real world we live in and can remind us of the scientific principles upon which they are based. We don't need to see technology from this point of view every time we use it and, as you said, we can't expect anyone to know how everything works, but just asking the questions about what's behind technology ("Where does this tool ultimately come from?" "How might it work and be related to other things I've observed in nature?") and making an attempt at the answers, with whatever background we have, may help us feel connected to nature and to "appreciate the oneness of the universe."

Amanda