Technology
The use of scientific knowledge and tools to solve problems and improve lives.
Why this matters
Technology matters because tools quietly train behavior. The same tool can help someone develop, utilize, apply, create, learn, connect, monitor, distract, exclude, or control. Technology as a value is not about loving devices; it is about choosing how knowledge and tools are used to solve real problems without making people less free, less capable, or less seen. Howdy Human asks: what does this tool help humans do, and what does it teach them to stop doing?
Examples in action
- A clinic practices technology well when it adds text reminders that help patients make appointments, while keeping a phone option for people who cannot use the portal.
- A teacher practices technology by using a shared document to help quiet students contribute without turning every class moment into screen time.
- A designer practices technology by removing a manipulative notification that increases clicks but worsens attention.
How to practice
- Name the human problem before choosing the tool.
- Ask what the technology helps people do, and what it may make harder to notice.
- Use, build, or recommend tools that increase access instead of quietly excluding people.
- Check whether automation is removing drudgery or removing accountability.
- Set one boundary where a tool is no longer serving the human purpose.
Associated verbs
Think of these verbs as the active edge of technology: they show where the value starts becoming behavior.
Related values
These neighboring values can help distinguish technology from similar instincts, habits, or commitments.
Frequently asked questions
- What does technology mean as a value?
- Technology as a value means using tools and knowledge to solve problems, increase access, and support human capability. It becomes visible in how tools shape behavior.
- How do I practice technology intentionally?
- Practice technology intentionally by starting with the human need, choosing the simplest useful tool, protecting access, and checking whether the tool is serving attention, dignity, and agency.
- Why is technology not automatically progress?
- Technology is only progress when it improves real human conditions. A tool can be new and still make people more distracted, excluded, surveilled, or dependent.