McGinn: Technological Innovation
Invention
Why it occurs is some directions versus others
- External pressures- social and natural.
- Motives of inventors
- Flexibility in the face of chance discoveries- exploiting opportunities
How it occurs (internalist studies)
- Usher's "cumulative synthesis" theory
- Inventor's perception of the problem
- Setting the stage- accessing resources
- Critical insight
- Critical revision
- A social process, however- setting the stage (often outside of the control of the inventor),
building on a sequence of prior strategic inventions- a cumulative social process.