Technological determinism is the belief or attitude that technological developments are inevitable and so there is no point in challenging or fighting this 'progress'. While there are certainly many clear examples where technological devlopments have transformed society, also examples where it is clear that the way in which this acts depends on the social, political, economic and geographical context of societies. For example, there are numerous examples of wheeled toys, and indeed other wheels, in pre-Columbian Central America, but the wheel was not used for transport.
Used on page 561
Links:
mexicolore.co.uk: The Concept of the Wheel in Ancient Mesoamerica