Scientific and technological revolution (NTR) characterizes the current level of scientific and technological progress, a feature of which is the rapid development of fundamentally new industries and the discovery of previously unknown laws of nature. Moreover, the result of success is not only technological developments, but also the expansion of theoretical knowledge. There are different stages of scientific and technological revolution, which have their own character, features of development and influence on the further course of progress. At the same time, there are also negative aspects of scientific and technological development. They also contribute to the pace of progress.
The essence of scientific and technological revolution and its features
Revolutionary changes in the scientific and technical sphere can be considered as an urgent problem of socio-social development. Formally, the NTR is a period of time associated with certain historical processes. However, its influence on distantand immediate aspects of the social environment.
There is still no consensus on the essence of scientific and technological revolution. Some experts define it as a process of changing the productive forces of society, while others understand it as a way to create super-powerful automated machines. In a broader sense, it is proposed to consider the stages of scientific and technological revolution as chronological processes of the increasing role of science in the development of information technology infrastructure and new generation technical means. In each case, the essence is reflected through individual signs of progress, but there are also common distinguishing features and features.
First of all, scientific and technical progress is a different quality of technological progress, which radically changes the nature of the interaction between production and science. Therefore, the main feature of scientific and technological revolution is determined by the pace of merging science and technology into a single process. Moreover, scientific development in relation to technology acts as a leading factor in determining the path of further movement and distribution of production forces.
You can also highlight the following characteristics of the stages of scientific and technological revolution:
- Accelerating change in manufacturing. The time for opening new production facilities, their arrangement and start-up is reduced.
- Versatility. New discoveries and developments to varying degrees, but affect all industries and spheres of human life.
- Military technical development. New types of weapons are improving and appearing.
- Growing requirements for raw materials and labor. Improving the quality of technical means, respectively, is notdoes without improving the quality indicators of related factors of production.
NTR background
Although the main stages of revolutionary progress in the scientific and technical field fall on the 20th century, it cannot be said that the entire previous history did without such breakthroughs. Another thing is that the technical and scientific revolutions took place separately, clearly not intersecting. The first signs of such a merger began to be traced only from the 16th century, when, with the emergence of manufacturing production, increasing requirements for logistics, the development of trade relations and navigation, the need for solving specific practical problems grew. They were more sharply formulated and gradually found answers in theoretical knowledge, which passed into experimental and applied forms. A fundamentally new stage in the fusion of science and technology was the 18th century, when new concepts of machine production led to an industrial revolution for the next 100 years.
In the 20th century, the initial stages of the development of scientific and technological revolution were supported by a whole series of scientific studies related to the discovery of the electron, the study of the relationship between energy and mass, etc. obvious appearance and predictable.
Main stages of scientific and technical progress
It is customary to distinguish two stages of the scientific and technological revolution. They are considered the main ones, although today the third, modern stage is demonstrating unprecedented development in various industries. One way or another, inIn the 20th century, the following leaps in the development of scientific and technological revolution took place:
- From 1940 to 1960 This is the first stage of the scientific and technological revolution, associated with unprecedented rates of development of a whole group of industrial countries. During this period, television networks are widely distributed, transistors, conceptual models of computers, satellite systems, etc. appear
- From the 1970s to the present day. The second stage, characterized by the desire of the largest developed countries to get out of the systemic crisis and transform the economy into a post-industrial state. At this time, microprocessors, industrial robots, fiber optic networks, information technology, etc. are being created.
Characteristics of the NTR process
As a result of the main development impulses, the first stage saw an increased growth in economic and production indicators around the world. Against the backdrop of success in industry, there was an increase in the share of employed workers in the service sector. Accordingly, the requirements for the professional skills of personnel, their qualifications and the level of general education were increased. Until today, the main stages of scientific and technological revolution in one way or another affect the economy. Since the 1970s, the following structural shifts have been noted:
- Reducing the growth rate of production demand for traditional raw materials, materials and fuels.
- Overall productivity growth.
- Optimizing and improving the efficiency of logistics models in production.
- The growth of science intensity in production, which determines the increase in the share of expenditures on design and research.
- Increase in demand for newmaterials, types of energy, etc.
- Accelerating the process of capital renewal.
- The formation of new industries and the change in the classical production configuration.
- Changing the structure of employment. The services sector is in the first place in terms of demand.
Structure of scientific and technological revolution
As already noted, the fundamental feature of scientific and technological revolution is the interaction of science and technology. In a detailed form, a more complex structure is presented, which also includes production, management, and at the same time technology is closely associated with technological developments. Scientific knowledge remains the basis for both the emergence of new technologies and the theoretical concepts of their implementation.
What is science as an element of scientific and technological revolution? It is a complex body of knowledge. It covers all spheres of human activity where certain skills are applied. At each stage of the development of scientific and technological revolution, the importance of science for production only increases, as evidenced by the increase in the costs of leading countries and corporations for research.
The "technique-technology" link acts as a transitional link from science to direct production. In this case, the development process can be revolutionary and evolutionary. Moreover, the second way is continuous improvement and modernization, which allows increasing the capacity of equipment, machines and units. To illustrate this process, we can take the example of sea tankers, which in the 1950s could hold up to 50,000 tons of oil, and by the 1970s the most powerfulmodels began to serve up to 500,000 tons.
The pace of increasing production capacity is determined not only by specific technical means, but also by logistics with the organizational structure of the enterprise. Electrification and mechanization became a fundamental improvement in production at the initial stages of scientific and technological revolution. To date, technological development allows organizing not only work sites with the smallest components and mechanisms, but also transforming adjacent elements of the production structure.
Management in the structure of the scientific and technological revolution also deserves special mention. Its importance is growing today due to the information boom, changes in communication tools, security systems, etc. One of the latest areas that directly affects the concepts of modern management can be called cybernetics and, in general, ways of processing information.
Features of modern scientific and technological revolution
The second stage of the scientific and technological revolution, according to many estimates, has not yet ended and largely determines the development of some areas. Mostly these are industries that still cannot do without mechanization, manual power and traditional raw materials. At the same time, the current stage of the scientific and technological revolution began in the XXI, although, again, the time frame is rather arbitrary, since progress is characterized by the properties of direct development.
It can be said that the transition to the new concept of scientific and technological revolution was marked by the entry into the era of the information society. The very understanding of the scientific and technological revolution in the modern world is becomingmultifaceted and complex. Differences from the previous stages are in the characteristics that determine the changes in the technical and industrial complex. For example, progress in information communications is added to the traditional components of scientific and technological revolution. He, in turn, determines not so much the impact on production as on the social life of society. The social change factor is gaining weight, radically changing the key parameters of people's lives.
But what are the features of the current stage of scientific and technological revolution in relation to the manufacturing sector as such? Technological systems of a new generation today are based on chains of equipment, both automated and robotic. Diverse teams are involved in the maintenance of equipment, so new principles for organizing work activity also come to the fore. The processes of research, design, construction, control and direct manufacturing are intertwined and begin to depend on each other. In this regard, there are difficulties in production in the new conditions. In order to meet the new challenges of increasing the complexity of collective labor activity, new concepts of self-management are introduced on a scientific basis with the connection of modern computers, organizational and communication tools.
Main directions of scientific and technological revolution
The most significant and rapidly developing areas include microelectronics, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, catalysis, laser systems, etc.
In particular, microelectronics is a prime example of how one industry caninfluence a wide range of spheres of life - from multimedia entertainment systems to the medical and military industries. Moreover, in our time, the stages and directions of scientific and technological revolution are in a particularly close connection. For example, the same microelectronics is engaged in improving the ergonomics, accuracy and efficiency of metrological equipment. At the same time, laser technologies offer a range of optical recognition methods, which complement the instrumentation quite organically.
There are also directions related not only to technology, but also to the person directly. The introduction of integrated systems in a new generation of computers makes it possible to increase the intellectual abilities of people. At the household level, they replace a person in solving typical economic problems. Such systems have existed almost from the first years of the scientific and technological revolution since the intensive development of household appliances. What, from the point of view of an ordinary person, will be the main features of the scientific and technological revolution at the present stage? As a rule, the following advantages of the product are distinguished, which at the output allow you to receive the current time scientific and technological revolution:
- Performance.
- Infallibility.
- The ability to solve specific and non-standard tasks.
- Possibility of using funds in extreme conditions.
- Self-learning.
Consequences of modern scientific and technological revolution
It is believed that the development of the electronic information environment led to the formation of a "society of high technologies." The processes of complex robotization of production were launched,which led to a multiple reduction in simple mechanical units and assemblies, as well as maintenance personnel. The third stage of scientific and technological development is closely related to the integration of CNC machines, the introduction of high-precision machining and control centers into production lines. At the same time, automated systems have not bypassed the areas of marketing and financial services. Science itself, with the institution of knowledge, has turned into a powerful industry, the fruits of which are no longer perceived as purely theoretical.
Of course, all of the above processes have also caused global social changes. Labor has become more intellectual, and the working class is losing its position as the largest part of the population. By the way, the initial stages of the scientific and technological revolution had the opposite effect on the ratio of different strata of society. There are also negative consequences. One of the most painful phenomena caused by the scientific and technological revolution can be called mass unemployment, and the situation, according to experts, will only get worse. Even at the second stage of scientific and technological development, many Western countries were faced with the need to carry out socio-political reforms in parallel with technical transformations - otherwise the risk of a socio-political crisis increases.
The Importance of Biotechnology
These areas of scientific and technological development can lay the foundation for study for many years to come. In a global view, the goal of the development and implementation of biotechnologies should be an economically and environmentally safe transition from traditional energy touse of alternative energy sources based on renewable resources. As in the initial stages of scientific and technological revolution, the main directions of science in high-tech areas open up opportunities for a wide variety of applications. Moreover, bio- and nanotechnologies, if successfully developed, can create an entire platform for supporting industry and energy in a broad sense. The tasks set can be solved by using new mechanisms for mining, through more recycling of waste and obtaining new materials.
What is more important, the current stage of scientific and technological revolution does not ignore the problem of food security. The growing resource and environmental crisis is closely related to biotechnology, and today a number of developments make it possible to alleviate or, at least, slow down the burden of many problems in agricultural production. Suffice it to mention the development of effective means of preventing plant diseases, new ways to increase productivity, breeding methods, etc.
Conclusion
The degree of influence of scientific and technological revolution in the 20th century on the future of mankind can be compared with the peak of agricultural development in the Neolithic or with the industrial boom at the end of the 18th century. Moreover, if in the past, intensive development impulses in various areas were local and affected mainly the technical side of the life of society, then the new stage of scientific and technological revolution leads to serious structural changes not only in the production and technological niche, but also concerns social relations.society. At the same time, the social system and the results of technological achievements cannot be considered in isolation from each other. It is with this that not only the positive phenomena of the new era of scientific and technological revolution are connected, but also the problems that the ideologists of technical progress face, and not only.
