DBQ's

1) Analyze Roman and Han attitudes toward technology?

Both the Romans and Greeks had different views on the technology of their society depending on their place they held in society, as well as their philosophical out looks on life. The documents provided however, don't give us an idea of lower/ middle class Han China. Providing us with an outlook on how the lower/middle class Han's felt on technology, would help us better understand China. As well a document on Roman lower/middle class would help, as one document only gives us a small view on their outlook. Another type of document that could be useful to be added is a document of a less important government official, rather than high placed government officials. This provides us with a wider span of the views on technology that exist in government roles.

Both Roman and Han political leaders both had multiple opinions on technologies of their society. In Rome, the political heads had a very negative out look on technology. One government official, Cicero, stated that technology made men "Vulgar and unbecoming to a gentle are all the jobs hired workers take on, whose labor is purchased rather than their skill." Basically Cicero is saying that technology allows men who don't have the required sills to participate in labor that they could otherwise not do without it. It makes men who are more skilled seem less important. Another official Senecca, stated that "Technology is invented by someone with a mind that was nimble and sharp, but not great or elevated". He has the opinion, that since technology can be developed by someone who lacks an education, is not able to develop something of use to society. Because they lack education the invention must not be useful. Roman's, basically hold the idea that being a political advicit technology isn't useful if it isn't developed by an equal upper class person. In Han China, political leaders had mixed feelings on technology. One official Huan Guan, stated that technology can increases prices in materials such as salt, in which the lower classes would be unable to afford and some tools are not very functional. Another official however, writes about how people experienced with technologies of water conservation are needed to help build structures to support water conservattion such as dikes and dams. The opion of technology for the political heads in Rome was very mixed.

Philosophers of Rome and Han China, both shared opinions and outlooks on the technology used by their societies. In Han China a philosopher, Huan Tan, praised technology, saying that it helped makes processes more sufficient and ten times easier than they would priviously had been. He also praises water power and its benefits to society. In Han China philosophers generally praised technology and its benefits to society. In Rome, philosophers usually had an outlook that was negative. A philosopher of Rome, Senecca, commented at how technology was invented by the less uneducated, which he sujjested it meant that technology was useless. The view on technology by Roman philosophers was mainly negative.