Amplification

In these posts, I have been focusing on the century from the collapse of the empire of Napoleon to the collapse of the continental European empires. For me, this period is a laboratory for studying the effects and significance of technology on society, culture, and mind. The changes were across the board, but in military and naval terms, the technical changes are well documented and understandable. These were not trivial changes, but profound. Some of the reactions they provoked should give us pause in considering our own.

A quarter-century ago, I began this journey looking for the deeper effects of technology by focusing on a specific and highly visible area (early modern military thought). What I learned then still troubles me. While I have learned much more, adding layers and subtlety to my interpretation, the first and most important lesson has been this:

technology does not create so much as it amplifies.