Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There were a number of factors, but it is important to recognize that the changes were not universal. Japan and China continued on for a while unaffected. Russian peasants remained Russian peasants.
Colonization, like it or not, was a factor in the dissemination of technology.
Factors:
the switch from fiefdoms to a merchant class
Martin Luther
the French "enlightenment"
steam
electricity
wars (which always push technology forward)
industrial revolution
the concept of a stock market
caffeine, in the form of tea, coffee, and chocolate
We went from gas lamps, horses, sailing ships, to light bulbs, telephones, automobiles, planes, movies, televisions, radio, refrigerators, skyscrapers, etc.
What caused the rapid technological advances in such a relatively short span of time in human civilization?
The answer back in my ye olde high school days of the Fifties: the processes is cumulative and the more developments there are the faster and faster they come. And in my opinion research for military purposes in modern times seems to have really goosed things along in a big way. So what to we say: Three cheers for war?
antinimby, if you interested in learning about technological progress and its influences, I highly recommend James Burke's Connections. It doesn't just focus on one period or even one invention but draws connections between all sorts of discoveries and ideas through the ages. This way you get a really immersive experience of how the modern world came to be shaped into what we know and take for granted today. It's quite an old show but very well made and still surprisingly relevant.
Below, is probably my favourite episode of the 3 series, which gives you an idea of how some of the changes you asked about occurred.
We went from gas lamps, horses, sailing ships, to light bulbs, telephones, automobiles, planes, movies, televisions, radio, refrigerators, skyscrapers, etc.
What caused the rapid technological advances in such a relatively short span of time in human civilization?
The Industrial Revolution followed the scientific advances of the 17th and 18th centuries by such greats as Galileo and Newton, along with many others, who discovered basics of nature that overturned mankind's long delusion with accepting the wrong-headed concepts passed down from Aristotle and other ancients. As the IR dawned in the 19th century, breakthroughs in chemistry and electromagnetics came on board rather quickly. By the turn of the 20th century, science was delving into atomic structure.
The IR marks a huge turning point in human history that continues to evolve today.
I would think plastic. A new material would inspire numerous people to find new uses for it. Plastic along with the Siemens company all came about during that time. Siemens developed using an electrical charge to move a mechanical device.
Last edited by thriftylefty; 07-25-2019 at 08:47 AM..
You might also add "The Great Enlightenment" in the early 1800s. A time of mental ? growth and development. like minded curiosity that therefore led in certain common directions?
You might also add "The Great Enlightenment" in the early 1800s. A time of mental ? growth and development. like minded curiosity that therefore led in certain common directions?
It's a factor, but I think competitive forces and the drive to improve material life are greater factors.
To wit, circumnavigation and firearms in the late 1400s/1500s were to a large extent motivated by intra-European and European-Ottoman competition. At the time, none of those places were hotbeds of representative government, for example. And, no, the so-called renaissance does not impress me.
I don't know, but were the pioneers of agriculture, the previous great leap before industrialization, "enlightened" or just lucky and observant?
Some combination of all of the above, I suspect.
And while industrialization accelerated exponentially in countries under enlightened representative governments, there is no guarantee that it will end up that way. Just ask all the slaves during the 12,000-year span of the agricultural revolution.
It is still very early days, and RIGHT NOW could very well be the Golden Age.
Enjoy!
Last edited by bale002; 07-25-2019 at 11:47 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
