Technology as a complex phenomenon: history, evolution, economic and institutional content

The article considers technology as a complex phenomenon, reflecting the knowledge of techniques, methods and systems of production process, and at the same time the material form of innovations. Based on a review of studies, and starting from the sources of technology, the evolution of the concept of technology is considered, the definitions of technology proposed by representatives of different scientific schools at different stages of socio-economic development of society are given. Certain views on the concept of technology are presented, the connection between technology and scientific and technical progress is shown. The reasons for differences in the existing definitions of the concept are discussed. The stages of development of the technological approach in the theory of economic cycles and the specifics of the transition to a new technological structure are analyzed. The relevance of distinguishing features of high technologies as the characteristics of this structure is considered. The methodological problems of determining the current status of technology associated with the factors of modern socio-economic development are indicated. The role of historical analysis of technological development as one of the approaches to determining the current economic and institutional content of technology is distinguished.