Technology and Change in History Theory’s Practice: Reflections on Germany around 1800

This study takes a fresh look at the term ‘technology’ around 1800, a pivotal moment in its conceptual history when it stands at the intersection of historical reflection, technical innovation, and speculative thinking. What is technology? When we grapple with this question, we try to understand something fundamental about humanity, given that technical objects and practices inform every aspect of our lives. The focus in this study on late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Germany underscores a pivotal moment in technology’s conceptual history and offers a fresh perspective. The translations and interpretive essays in this volume show how those writers engaged with technology reflected on its history and innovations even as they engaged in more speculative thinking. Their work, definitive of a historical epoch, can still speak to us today.