Connections

Rating:
Summary: A Good Introduction to Technology History
Review: If you've seen James Burke's TV program of the same name, or his
short-lived Scientific American column, you might be taken aback by the
relatively slower pacing of this book. I found that in the TV program
and the magazine column, Mr. Burke ricocheted from colorful personality
or idea to another, in a confusing, dazzling, and ultimately
entertaining way -- giving one the idea that the history of innovation
is that of one large web, but one doesn't get the larger cast of events.

However, in the book, he slows down and spends pages upon the
developemnt of infantry tactics and the effects of the use of guns in
battle in Medieval and Renaissance warfare. This book is simply a
history of technology, told in 9 separate, large arcs, coming full
circle from the tenuous and interconnected energy system that resulted
in the unexpected 1965 Northeast American Blackout -- which is used as a
metaphor for the development of technology as a whole.

More to the point, this book centers more on the overall social aspects
and developments of different societies; Mr. Burke is British, so one
sees how he comes back again and again to point out how England sprung
ahead or fell behind in certain developments, and why. He does mention
a few more flamboyant personalities in this history, but his thrust is
that techonological progress is more a function of being in the right
location at the right time, and combining the right concepts from those
who came before. As well, he focuses on how technological change
affects society: population and wealth fluctuations due to supply
bottlenecks, how fireplaces broke up the communal manor and inspired
courtly love traditions, how lack of social mobility stifled progress in
England and how cheap land in America meant the first factory works here
would be young women.

Sometimes Burke gets mired in the details of the way some of
technological innovations work (I can't quite follow some of the
explanations of how clockworks tick), but it gives one a wider
perspective on what was possible at what time. It's true that each
chapter works chronologically, but overall the arc of the book is not
chronological, but thematic. This is not a scholarly text. However,
this is a good introduction to the history of Western technology - its
connections and its impacts.

Rating:
Summary: A materialist view of history needs illustrations
Review: The point of James Burke's Connections is that material inventions and environmental conditions (not ideas) are the driving force behind the way that societal interaction is structured. As such, Burke reopens the centuries-old Marx-Hegel debate about whether or not our world is structured by the ideas of prominent thinkers (ie: Martin Luther) or the invention of certain objects (ie: the deep plow) and other material conditions (ie: the Black Plauge).

While you may or may not agree with Burke, on all levels, he does a great job of supporting his central argument. From the claim that the first cities were formed as the result of the receding ice age to the idea that romance became viewed by society as a "private" thing with the invention of the fireplace, he is consistent in his thinking. And while, the gaping hole in his argument is his failure to acknowledge that it was the *ideas* of certain "gifted" persons (ie: Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers) to put available materials together in a useful way, he still reaffims my conviction that social relations are a function of the material world around us. Bottom line is that we don't structure our world as much as we like to think.

Sadly, I found the lack of illustrations in the abridged audio edition had the overall effect of weakening his argument to some degree. I'm really not big on illustrations in texts, but I think to thoughroughly appreciate James Burke's ideas, you have to "see them". For instance, it's very distracting to try to visualize "Volta's Electric Pile" in your head and keep track of what Burke is talking about. I suppose that's why the Mini-series and the book did so well. (5 stars for the now unavailable book, by the way)

On the other hand, I take strong exception to the reviewer who claims that Burke "...goes off on tangents..." in Connections. His attention to fine detail is much appreciated as both thoughtful commentary and, more importantly, substatiative evidence to his claims. Reviewers who do not see the value of such introspection perhaps lack the attention-span that is required to read (or listen to, as the case may be) Burke's treatise.

In sum, I deduct one star for the audio edition for its lack of illustrations.

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating book
Review: This book suffers from comparisons to Burke's PBS series by the same name probably because this is more of a sampler of his perspectives than a comprehensive treatment. Still, it is an absolutely fascinating look at the history of technology and how a break in the smallest link in the chain of technological development might preclude an invention from ever coming forth.

I enjoyed Burke's presentation style, written a bit like a mystery novel, giving us the pieces of the puzzle one at a time leading to the ultimate technology as we know it today. It leaves the reader guessing at each step as to what indispensable modern technology will result.

Burke postulates that major technological advancements are not the result of geniuses slaving away in laboratories, but instead the amalgamation of numerous small inventions, mostly created by average folks trying to adapt to everyday problems. While I accept that premise prior to the 19th century and perhaps in certain cases through to the 20th century, I believe that with few exceptions (like Gates invention of DOS for example), most major technological breakthroughs now result from concerted and organized R&D efforts that result from government grants and the corporate profit motive. The only difference today is that the geniuses are working in their den on a PC, and not in a lab. However, with the sophistication and innovativeness necessary to reach the next level in today's complex scientific fields, such breakthroughs are no longer the within the capabilities of the average person. Though one might point to the proliferation of dot com companies as support of Burke's position, I would argue that these are not average people, but rather the geniuses next door.

This is a book that makes one ponder the fabric of life and the importance of each individual strand. It is light reading with a heavy point and in that regard it is extraordinarily elegant. I rated it a 9/10. I highly recommend it to anyone with a curious mind.