Edgerton on how the rich view the poor

The section in the first reading from Shock of the Old which interested me most was the section starting on p. 39 titled "Not Alphaville but bidonville: technology and poor magacity".  Here Edgerton talks about how western thought on the poor wold is that they're just not technologically advanced enough, or they need to catch up to the "developed world".  However, Edgerton points out that the idea that the "developing world" just needs to catch up with our technology stems from the belief in a sequential history of technology, with each step better than the previous.  In truth, according to Edgerton, the best technology in any situation could be some of the oldest and most basic.


We shouldn't view poor areas as places where the technology needs to catch up to the rest of us.  We should view poor areas who need technology that helps them achieve improved standards of living.  Whether not the best technology to achieve this end is the same as that in existence in the Western world depends on a case by case basis.  In many situations the best technical solutions to poverty have looked a lot different than technologies employed in the developed world.