Did The Printing Press Cause The Renaissance, And So What If It Did?

The invention of the printing press was a big deal. 

Humans had very few books. Then we had loads. Pretty much overnight. 

Ideas could now be exchanged en masse. 

And that was a total game-changer.   

But did it spark the huge social changes of the Renaissance, Scientific Revolution and Reformation periods?

Technological determinists think so. 

Technological determinism is the theory that technology drives and shapes societal change.

Supporters of the idea point to the printing press as a clear example of the theory in action. 

But it’s not that simple. 

Some say the cultural changes happening during those periods were already in motion. 

So, Gutenberg’s press didn’t cause the Renaissance. It just made existing information more accessible. 

That’s certainly what a (yep, you guessed it) cultural determinist would tell you, anyway. 

For cultural determinists, human values and norms steer the course of technological progress. Not the other way around. 

Of course, wondering about the outcome of a 400-year-old innovation might seem irrelevant. 

But the debate is far from academic. 

Whether or not technology ultimately decides human fate is a big deal.

Especially since we’re living through the greatest technological revolution the world has ever seen.