[somenameforme]

I'm about as cynical as they come, but it has to be said that something like 99.9999% of all fundamental technologies are completely public at this point. Humans in the ancient past were unlikely to be that dramatically different in terms of present humans in terms of intellectual ability, but were held back by a lack of knowledge.

For instance, we still use steel - and for 99% of humanity's existence nobody knew how to make it. It turns out it's really easy, and it's just one amongst countless other techs along a similar lines. A human who spent a year dedicating himself to consuming freely accessible information, who was then warped back into the past, could send humanity forward by tens of thousands of years - all by himself.

We're all free to use these technologies in any way we see fit, but somehow we've created this weird society where we have all the potential in the world, but instead we spend inordinate amounts of time doing pointless things like shit posting on the internet and mostly being upset about what we can't do and/or have, even though even if we had access to such in all probability we'd again take it for granted and find something else to complain about.

This isn't really a condemnation of humanity. Probably this sort of eternal discontent we have is precisely what drove us to discover all of these great things. Like I mean who in their right mind would have left the basic oasis of Africa to go freeze their ass off and struggle just to live in the inhospitable areas up north? There's something wrong with that guy, and that guy is all of us, for the most part.

[d4rkn0d3z]

- 99.9999%

Wow! That's a great many indeed. Can you just name 1 though? Just 1?

Let's start with fire, certainly making and controlling fire is a skill that uses knowledge, a "technology". Go from there, try to find one technology that did not find itself in the service of power, for consolidating resources, etc..

Don't get me wrong, I think might, both intellectual and physical, should serve the purposes of benevolence and valour. I'm not complaining, I'm taking note of reality.

[somenameforme]

There's a big difference as something being used as a "front" for the consolidation of resources and power, and something being used as a tool in pursuit of such. Any highly useful technology will obviously be able to be used in a wide array of things, including undesirable.

[h2zizzle]

I was going to say, "furry porn," but then I realized that you're essentially just looking at the modern version of a pagan animal worship cult (of personality?) with some of those artists. You'd be surprised what gooners would do to appease their favorite werewolf coitus provider.

...PBS? Sesame Street has only ever been a boon to the common kid.

[hydrogen7800]

>A human who spent a year dedicating himself to consuming freely accessible information, who was then warped back into the past, could send humanity forward by tens of thousands of years - all by himself.

Only recently in my life have I developed an appreciation for fiction, because it contains deep insights into human behavior. I often fantasize about traveling back to the past, and explaining to folks that we've been to the moon, explored the planets, etc. It's a fun thought exercize, but I think the "reality" of such an experience would be more like this:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/11870/11870-h/11870-h.htm#li...

[h2zizzle]

>Like I mean who in their right mind would have left the basic oasis of Africa to go freeze their ass off and struggle just to live in the inhospitable areas up north?

I don't know that this is the correct characterization of how out-of-Africa migrations progressed. Youth (and people with the influence to shield themselves from danger) are expeditious, families and societies head where living looks to be easier and away from where living looks to be hard, whatever the pressure may be.

[hydrogen7800]

I read a description of this somewhere. Just moving a few km per generation, while being able to maintain direct links to your previous home, would push humans to the extents of the globe over tens of thousands of years.

[tim333]

I quite like the inhospitable areas up north but they required the invention of a kind of tech in the form of warm clothing and housing. At the current rate of progress we'll have well insulated houses in England quite soon. Re:

>this weird society where ... we spend inordinate amounts of time ... shit posting

human life is a strange business that has come about as a fleeting side effect of eons of DNA reproduction. I think things could maybe be improved there.