All About Tools
A
broad definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or
more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the
other. The most basic
tools are simple
machines. For example, a
crowbar simply functions as a
lever. The further out from the pivot point, the more force is transmitted
along the lever. A hammer typically interfaces between the operator's hand and
the nail the operator wishes to strike.
Tools are the most important items that the ancient humans used to climb to
the top of the food chain;
by inventing tools, they were able to accomplish tasks that their bodies could
not, such as using a spear or
bow and arrow to kill prey, since their teeth were not sharp enough to
pierce many animals' skins.
A telephone is a communication tool that interfaces between two people
engaged in conversation at one level. And between each user and the
communication network at another. It is in the domain of media and
communications technology that a counter-intuitive aspect of our relationships
with our tools first began to gain popular recognition. Marshall McLuhan
famously said "We shape our tools. And then our tools shape us." McLuhan was
referring to the fact that our social practices co-evolve with our use of new
tools and the refinements we make to existing tools.
Tools that have evolved for use in particular domains can be given different
assignations. For example, tools designed for domestic use are often called
utensils.