What's your favorite invention and/or discovery in human history and why?

[iNow]

Cooperation... Though, cooperation came well before humans. So, maybe...

Agriculture

And insulin

[Prometheus]

Agriculture was my second choice. Pretty much defines the advent of human civilisation. 

[Itoero]

The invention/discovery of chocolate.

[The Shadow]

Fire!

Provides warmth and sterilizes food before consuming. Also, Indian tribes in the USA used fire for communication...they sent smoke rings into the air above (by flapping a piece of cloth or canvas over the fire).

Edited August 20, 2019 by The Shadow

[Curious layman]

More of a engineering marvel than a invention I think, but the space shuttle. 

Remember the first time I saw it in space as a teenager....wow, incredible, just blew me away.

Watching it lift off and seeing the astronauts inside, and thinking about what it would be like used to amaze me. Still does. Easily the best job in the world.

R.I.P space shuttle 

[npts2020]

I say language. It is what has facilitated the passing of all other inventions from generation to generation and allowed the communication of abstract ideas.

[dimreepr]

10 hours ago, npts2020 said:

I say language. It is what has facilitated the passing of all other inventions from generation to generation and allowed the communication of abstract ideas.

Printing was more effective, because it's more consistent and more inclusive; language changes over time, whereas printing is a snapshot in time of language and available to all rather than just your neighbour.

 

[zapatos]

3 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

Printing was more effective, because it's more consistent and more inclusive; language changes over time, whereas printing is a snapshot in time of language and available to all rather than just your neighbour.

 

Language does not imply "spoken". Surely if you are printing something available to all you are talking about printing language rather than printing pictures.

[dimreepr]

1 minute ago, zapatos said:

Language does not imply "spoken".

No, but it does imply communication...

4 minutes ago, zapatos said:

Surely if you are printing something available to all you are talking about printing language rather than printing pictures

Of course, but the difference is "available to all"; if spoken or written manually (or otherwise communicated) it's limited to those with access to the speaker, communicator or "book". Printing allows anyone who wants access to the communicator, has access to the information.

[zapatos]

30 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

No, but it does imply communication...

Of course, but the difference is "available to all"; if spoken or written manually (or otherwise communicated) it's limited to those with access to the speaker, communicator or "book". Printing allows anyone who wants access to the communicator, has access to the information.

I was simply pointing out that when you said "printing was more effective (than language)" you seem to have missed the fact that what they were printing was LANGUAGE.

'Printing', like computer screens, radio, vocals, and talking books, is just a method for disseminating the 'language'. 

It might make sense to say 'printing' was more effective than radio or vocals, but 'printing' is not an either/or comparison with 'language'. That's like saying "roasting" is more effective than 'food'.

[dimreepr]

1 minute ago, zapatos said:

That's like saying "roasting" is more effective than 'food'.

That would depend on, when 'food' is less effective when cooked...

[zapatos]

4 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

That would depend on, when 'food' is less effective when cooked...

Right over your head...

[dimreepr]

25 minutes ago, zapatos said:

I was simply pointing out that when you said "printing was more effective (than language)"

Your building a house of straw... 

I simply said printing was more available.

15 minutes ago, zapatos said:

Right over your head...

...

[zapatos]

Are you really that obtuse or just incapable of conceding a point?

 

[dimreepr]

5 minutes ago, zapatos said:

Are you really that obtuse or just incapable of conceding a point?

You say potato and I say potatoe, you say side walk and I say pavement...

Am I being obtuse, or is it you???

[dimreepr]

20 hours ago, zapatos said:

Are you really that obtuse or just incapable of conceding a point?

I think we're both guilty of that; and deliberately talking past each other. In this context it's the old chicken and egg question. 

But I still defend my point, which is, printing is more effective at disseminating information to the mass' than language alone; there are many different languages, but if printing evolved with language maybe we'd all be speaking the same one.

And lets not forget how quickly human advancement grew after the Gutenberg press was invented, as compared to when language evolved.

[The Shadow]

On 12/31/2018 at 3:38 AM, MigL said:

Fire.
I like my food cooked. 

I agree with fire. It provided warmth where none existed. It provided light when there was only darkness. It sterilized food when needed. It cauterized wounds which would not stop bleeding. It offered communication over large distances (smoke signals over omnidirectional miles). Enhanced destruction capabilities of weapons (eg, flaming arrows).

Fire was significant in multiple ways for sure!

[Art Man]

On 12/30/2018 at 11:32 AM, Itoero said:

What's your favorite invention and/or discovery in human history and why?

Man, if I had to pick one thing it would have to be basic and valuable so I would choose Henry Ford and his automobile.

[dimreepr]

9 hours ago, Art Man said:

Man, if I had to pick one thing it would have to be basic and valuable so I would choose Henry Ford and his automobile.

For me it's scrambled egg on toast with a nice cup of tea...