Technology was relatively neglected in classical Greece, because according to Ihde it was constrained by the Greeks’ aesthetics and also I think due to the platonic split between logos / techne, where the first was considered primordial over the latter. There was considerable technological development in hellenistic times because it was freed from such constraints and also because it came into closer contact with other civilizations.
Technology is not neutral. Every technology has inherent values that reflectively dictate the context of use, creating new worlds. As technologies are developed and put to use, there are already important changes in human activity and institutions (Winner, 1986). Regarding the question as to whether technology steers society or vice versa. The first line of thought is technological determinism, where in the manner of Marx the technology used defines the form of society (e.g. the hand-powered mill creates a feudal society, while the steam-powered mill creates industrial capitalists).
Reference
- Winner, L. (1986). The Whale and the Reactor. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
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