What Leads the Way -- Science or New Technology?

The Nature of Technology:

The popular view is that technology is the handmaiden of science — less pure, more commercial. But in “The Nature of Technology: What It Is and How It Evolves,” W. Brian Arthur, an economist, reframes the relationship between science and technology as part of an effort to come up with a comprehensive theory of innovation.

In Dr. Arthur’s view, the relationship between science and technology is more symbiotic than is generally conceded. Science and technology move forward together in a kind of co-evolution. And science does not lead.

Read the whole thing.

(And speaking of technology, I just downloaded a sample chapter of the book onto my Kindle... and my iPhone.)