The Phenomenon of Technology in the Context of Ecological Consciousness

The problem discussed in the article is that modern engineers do not possess knowledge of ecological regularities, and this, in turn, leads to the fact that the development of technology enters into irreversible contradictions with the established natural landscapes and the biosphere as a whole. Such an attitude of man to nature was laid down by the accelerating evolution of productive forms of economy, initiated by the ‘Neolithic Revolution’. Tools, which for a long time played an auxiliary role, eventually turned out to be the dominant factor. If at the first stages of the formation of states man was still adjusting to natural processes, then gradually he is increasingly reorganizing them in his own interests. Three stages in the formation of technology are distinguished: 1) from primitive society to the Middle Ages, 2) the “engineering” of the New Age, 3) the formation of modern technology, in which the technogenic civilization explosively asserts itself. A peculiar socio-cultural technical reality has emerged. The main problem is that the increasing possibility of transforming nature gave the illusion of its deeper understanding. But by now there is a need to recognize the nature of human impact on natural phenomena. The fact is that with all the development of technical means and transformation of the environment, a man remains a part of the biosphere. What distinguishes a man from other species is his extended use of his neighbors in the biocenosis, but, most importantly, the physical extermination of competitors. The latter is an exceptional feature of a man, for all other species do not exterminate each other, but compete with each other. But nowadays the understanding of this fact makes us talk about the necessity of new relations between a man and other species. After all, man, as one of the animal species of our planet, can live only as part of the biosphere, he cannot be removed from it and cannot remain on the planet in case of a strong disturbance of the biosphere, which excluded his vital needs. These considerations should be the basis for the training of modern engineers. It is realistic to maintain the balance of habitat conditions only with absolute full awareness of each participant in the laws of ecology, ethology and postulates of ecological ethics. And mass application of such knowledge is realistic only with a paradigm shift in education and training for professionals with ecological thinking.