When the BBC originally approached me to discuss the possibility that I would deliver the Reith Lectures, my first thought was that I would speak about nanotechnology, my own field of engineering. But as I started to outline what I would say I found that I was repeatedly coming back to generalities, to the origins of technology and how the process of innovation has changed over time, especially over the last few decades. I was also influenced by my observation that the general public did not have a good understanding of this process, nor have a true appreciation of the benefits of modern technology. Worse than this, there was a growing distrust of technology and science that has its origins in a few isolated examples, but has spread to technology in general.

So my purpose in delivering the lectures was to make the case for technology, to show how technologies have, from the beginnings of civilisation, influenced the way we live and that, overall, they have been hugely beneficial. The standard of living of the majority of peoples has been improved to an extent that would have been inconceivable to our ancestors, and it is largely through technology that the peoples of the Third World will be able to enjoy the same privileges. I have tried to capture the wonder of modern technologies, setting them in a historical context but bringing a sense of reality to what they can accomplish.