Kranzberg's Laws

The first “Law” to be discussed states that, “Invention is the mother of necessity.” This may sound very familiar to many people, but don’t be fooled. There is a common saying that states, “Necessity is the mother of invention”, but these are not the same. Many people know the latter saying and its meaning. It quite simply states that if an individual or society needs something, they will come up with a solution to perform the desired task. In most cases this involves inventing a new device or technique. However, saying the reverse, “Invention is the mother of necessity”, is not as simple to understand, and requires a deeper of a thought process to comprehend its meaning.

In 1879, Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. This was a practical invention, however it was not a necessity in 1879 to have light bulbs. Society would have maintained its f

The other way to look at this “Law” is from the policy side of the statement. The amount of technology may be out there or capable, but there is a limiting factor as to how much of that should be let out. Not everyone in the public needs to know everything about everything. Therefore some technologies are limited because of the fact that certain people do not need to have all of these items to function ones best in society. Technologies can be used for good purposes in the world and for bad purposes, and some policy is formed to try and keep certain technologies away from those who would use them for bad purposes. An example of this is missiles. Missiles can be used for protection, however policy limits the amount of missiles and the owners of missiles because if in the wrong hands they could cause serious harm to the public. Policy is stated to limit the use of technology mostly for safety purposes. Although this is one method of interpretation of this “Law”, it is not as favorable as the cost side of the issue. Money limits technology and the amount of technology released more than policy restricts it, therefore it is a more suitable explanation of the “Law.”

unctionality at the same rate if the light bulb were not invented. It is true this invention made a large impact, and it made everyday life simpler, and pushed society forward. The goal is not to take these attributes are not being taken away from the light bulb. The point being made is that the light bulb was not invented due to the fact that it was necessary to have electrical lighting, however if one were to take away the idea of a light bulb in today’s society imagine the consequences. For over one hundred years people have used light bulbs to make their lives easier. If this great invention of Mr. Edison were taken away it would have a huge impact on society. Everyt

Some topics in this essay:
Thomas Edison, Concord Technology, Mel Kranzberg, light bulb, “invention mother necessity”, “invention mother, mother necessity”, “laws” discussed, issues technical factors, element public issues, technical factors precedence, technical factors, public issues, issues technical, public issues technical, factors precedence, technology-policy decisions”, precedence technology-policy,