Originally posted by menace71 Agreed but if man has been around for 100,000 years would not the probability that man would have made even greater technological advances than we already have?
I will agree the last 100 years we have made great advances no doubt.
Manny
I went through this point in Thread 135717. Pages 5 and 7 for context.
Advances in technology is exponential because it depends on discoveries/inventions on other technologies.
During the stone, bronze and iron ages, advances were very slow.
In medieval times there was slowed down progression because of the church pushing dogmatic beliefs (e.g. a flat Earth).
Big jumps occurred when certain revolutionary discoveries/ideas were made, which helped in develop further technologies/ideas. For example, the renaissance period revolutionised critical thinking, and spawned scientific process which caused an explosion in invention, and hence technology.
The industrial revolution was another big jump, which speeded up processes, which encouraged more invention.
So, it started off which a world with a low population, and the occasional idea which caused a slight advance. Scientific advances and education caused more people in parallel to be able to come up with ideas and invent things, by the 20th century, we had a flood of invention and discovery.
You are assuming that advances are linear, but all you have to do is look from the beginning of the 20th century to see a phenomenal rate of advancement (far faster than previous centuries), involving electronics, computers, flight, space travel, nuclear energy etc. All because it had so many developments going on in parallel throughout the world.
and:
The period of time where you say "nothing happened" (although I will argue I would say things happened VERY slowly) was a time where the world population was very low and sparsely distributed. If one small community came up with an idea, they would not be able to communicate it with another community many miles away (if they even knew they even existed).
Domestication of animals (hence riding horses) helped with this, and then the invention of the wheel.
Nowadays we have very rapid communication. If there is a new invention, the world can find out about it within minutes, and many people will have inspiration for new ideas very quickly.
Originally posted by karoly aczel You're right. Something does not add up. Its not that man hasn't been around for 100 000+ years, its that so many books were burned, so many influencial people were killed, and the rulers of our planet perpetuated a lie (mixed with truth) , to keep the people in check.
These people having been ruling our planet for a long time (5000+) years.
Couple ...[text shortened]... nd then you start to get a picture of why it is so hard to get a clear picture of pre-history.
Hey Karoly? Do you believe in Atlantis? How the burning of the Library at Alexandria?
Originally posted by Proper Knob Let me try and explain.
Until around 10,000yrs ago we were hunter gatherers, meaning we followed wherever our food went. If the game went north, we went north, if the game went south, we went south. We had no settled base for very long. The men were involved in the catching of food, whilst the women stayed at camp and looked after the day to day runni ...[text shortened]... it. Our transition from a nomadic people to a sedentary people was no doubt the catalyst.
Thanks Proper
I understand what your saying. However so for 94,000 years we just chased animals around? I guess human progress is not linear by any means.
Originally posted by lausey I went through this point in Thread 135717. Pages 5 and 7 for context.
Advances in technology is exponential because it depends on discoveries/inventions on other technologies.
During the stone, bronze and iron ages, advances were very slow.
In medieval times there was slowed down progression because of the church pushing dogmatic ...[text shortened]... about it within minutes, and many people will have inspiration for new ideas very quickly.
Originally posted by menace71 Well it would just seem like these things would go further back. Did man just suddenly find the need to write and use calendars in the last 6000 years? So I'm expected to believe that only in the last 6000 out of 100,000 years man suddenly found the need?
why shouldn't there be?
Manny
Calendars are required for effective agriculture. They are not required for hunter-gathering in a world of unlimited resources relative to the population.
Imagine...everyone has their own stretch of temperate or tropical beach...fat, delicious animals everywhere...plants laden with fruit and vegetables...as long as you could kill off and eat other large animals which might compete, the world was yours for the taking! There was no need for technology really. Climate was beautiful, people tended to live on the coast (though you could live in the mountains if you wanted, or anywhere else), exploration was done on foot - no need for ships, subs or spaceships (though eventually small boats were used in prehistoric times). Life was a beach party.
Originally posted by menace71 Hey Karoly? Do you believe in Atlantis? How the burning of the Library at Alexandria?
Manny
Dont know enough about either to have an opinion thats worth repeating....but more or less,yes.
If my theories are correct, "someone" should be able to pop into my time and near my space and "tap" me on the shoulder or wink or something to say,"yep, your on the right track". 🙂
Originally posted by Proper Knob Let me try and explain.
Until around 10,000yrs ago we were hunter gatherers, meaning we followed wherever our food went. If the game went north, we went north, if the game went south, we went south. We had no settled base for very long. The men were involved in the catching of food, whilst the women stayed at camp and looked after the day to day runni ...[text shortened]... it. Our transition from a nomadic people to a sedentary people was no doubt the catalyst.
"Around 10 000 yrs ago something happened"
What do you think happened, or was it just a series of more minor changes that led to a pretty big one? And why didn't the Australian aboriginies start farming?
Originally posted by AThousandYoung Calendars are required for effective agriculture. They are not required for hunter-gathering in a world of unlimited resources relative to the population.
Imagine...everyone has their own stretch of temperate or tropical beach...fat, delicious animals everywhere...plants laden with fruit and vegetables...as long as you could kill off and eat other ...[text shortened]... ceships (though eventually small boats were used in prehistoric times). Life was a beach party.
LOL sounds nice 😉 Almost possibly like the Garden of Eden
Originally posted by karoly aczel "Around 10 000 yrs ago something happened"
What do you think happened, or was it just a series of more minor changes that led to a pretty big one? And why didn't the Australian aboriginies start farming?
As mentioned population is the key. Aborigines already were able to hunt and gather sufficient resources to cater for their small population. Farming wasn't required.
Originally posted by lausey I went through this point in Thread 135717. Pages 5 and 7 for context.
Advances in technology is exponential because it depends on discoveries/inventions on other technologies.
During the stone, bronze and iron ages, advances were very slow.
In medieval times there was slowed down progression because of the church pushing dogmatic ...[text shortened]... about it within minutes, and many people will have inspiration for new ideas very quickly.
In medieval times there was slowed down progression because of the church pushing dogmatic beliefs (e.g. a flat Earth). - lausey
This is a bad example and a common misconception.
" In the first fifteen centuries of the Christian era nearly unanimous scholarly opinion pronounced the earth spherical, and by the fifteenth century all doubt had disappeared" Jeffery Burton Russell,Inventing the Flat Earth:Columbus and modern historians
Indeed did not certain seafaring peoples know that the earth was spherical like 2000 years ago or more?
I see this show also that finds that man was more technologically advanced at certain times and places than most know. I think it's on history channel. Ancient Wonders or something like that. They found what they believe were ancient batteries and the Chinese had gas pipes or some crazy thing.
Originally posted by lausey As mentioned population is the key. Aborigines already were able to hunt and gather sufficient resources to cater for their small population. Farming wasn't required.
So would you say humans evolved strictly by necessity?
Garden of Eden Found?
14 Dec '10 12:111 edit
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