# Technology Has Long Been Entwined With Human Capabilities by the Royal Society > “From writing and printing to the mechanisation of manufacturing, technology design and use has long been entwined with the evolution of human capabilities, with implications for individuals and society.” > **— the Royal Society**, *2020, Digital Technologies and Human Transformations* ## Sources and Context - **Direct source and full wording:** [Digital technologies and human transformations](https://royalsociety.org/news-resources/publications/2020/digital-technologies-and-human-transformations/) — The Royal Society's 2020 project page contains this exact sentence. - **Article use:** [[articles/We Cannot Un-Strike the Match|We Cannot Un-Strike the Match. There Is No Safety. There Is No Retreat]] cites this statement in its account of externalized cognition. The sentence places digital technology in a longer history of tools participating in the development of human capability. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Article:** [[articles/We Cannot Un-Strike the Match|We Cannot Un-Strike the Match. There Is No Safety. There Is No Retreat]] - **Companion article:** [[articles/Safety Discourse Is Transition Discourse|Safety Discourse Is Transition Discourse]] - **Companion article:** [[articles/The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public|The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public]] - **Companion article:** [[articles/AI-Tech Doomerism and Anti-Science Panic|AI-Tech Doomerism and Anti-Science Panic]] - **Companion article:** [[articles/AI Escape Is the Wrong Metaphor|AI Escape Is the Wrong Metaphor]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Royal Society|Royal Society]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Royal Society|Royal Society]] - [[wiki/Extended Mind Thesis|Extended Mind Thesis]] - [[wiki/Andy Clark|Andy Clark]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “From writing and printing to the mechanisation of manufacturing, technology design and use has long been entwined with the evolution of human capabilities, with implications for individuals and society.” — the Royal Society, 2020, Digital Technologies and Human Transformations https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-royal-society-technology-human-capabilities ```