Innovation has become commonplace.
And we are not talking about such modern “innovations” as ray tracing technology on RTX graphics cards from Nvidia or 50x zoom in the new smartphone from Huawei. These things are more useful for marketers than for users. We are talking about real innovations that have significantly changed our approach and outlook on life.
For 500 years, and especially in the last 200 years, human life has been constantly transformed under the influence of new ideas, inventions and discoveries. And this is a fairly short period in human history. Prior to this, development seemed very slow and unhurried, especially from the side of a person of the 21st century.
In the modern world, change has become the main constant. Some statements from 15 years ago, which were quite normal at one time, can now be perceived by people as something inappropriate or offensive. Part of the specialized literature of 10 years ago is no longer considered relevant, and seeing an electric car on the road is already considered the norm not only in developed countries.
We are accustomed to the destruction of traditions, to revolutionary technologies and to constant information about new discoveries that we still understand little. We are confident that science and technology do not stand still, and we believe that new discoveries and innovations await us in the future. But why are we so sure of this? When did we start believing in technology and in the methods of scientific research? What was the reason?
In my opinion, Yuval Noah Harari covers these issues in sufficient detail in his book “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” (I think that every sapiens should read it). Therefore, this text will rely heavily on some of his judgments.
The phrase that changed everything
Throughout their history, people constantly recorded empirical observations, but their value was low, because people believed that all the really necessary knowledge by mankind had already been received from ancient philosophers and prophets. For many centuries, the most important way to acquire knowledge was the study and implementation of existing traditions. Why waste time looking for new answers when we already have all the answers?
Loyalty to traditions was the only chance to return the glorious past. Inventions could only slightly improve the traditional way of life, but they tried not to encroach on the traditions themselves. Because of this reverence for the past, many ideas and inventions were considered a manifestation of pride and discarded in the bud. If even the great philosophers and prophets of the past failed to solve the problem of famine and pestilence, then where can we go?
Probably many people know the stories about Icarus, the Tower of Babel or the Golem. They taught that any attempt to go beyond human limits would have dire consequences. If you did not have any knowledge, then you most likely turned to a wiser person, and did not try to find answers on your own. And curiosity (I remember “eat an apple”) was not particularly held in high esteem in some cultures.
No one needed to discover what no one had known before. Why should I understand the structure of the spider's web or the functioning of our immune system, if the ancient sages and scientists did not consider it something important and did not write about it?
As a result, for a long period, people lived inside this vacuum of traditions and ancient knowledge, without even thinking that their worldview was sufficiently limited. But then we made one of the most important discoveries that started the scientific revolution: ignorance. “I don’t know” is perhaps one of the most important phrases in our history, which prompted us to look for answers. The idea that people do not know the answers to the most important questions forced us to change our attitude towards existing knowledge.
Lack of response was considered a sign of weakness and this position has not yet disappeared. Some people still do not admit their ignorance in certain issues and expose themselves as "experts" just so as not to be from a position of weakness. If even modern people can find it hard enough to say “I don't know,” it's hard to imagine what it was like in a society where all the answers had already been given.
How ignorance has enlarged our world
Of course, there were claims of human ignorance in antiquity as well. Suffice it to recall the phrase “I know that I know nothing”, which is attributed to Socrates. But the mass recognition of ignorance, which led to a passion for discovery, appeared a little later - with the discovery of an entire continent, which, by chance or mistake, was named after the traveler Amerigo Vespucci.
Here is a map of Fra Mauro, made in the 1450s (inverted, which is familiar to the modern eye). It looks so detailed that one gets the impression that Europeans already know every corner of the world. And most importantly - no white spots.
But then in 1492, Christopher Columbus, who for a long time could not find patrons to sail in search of a western route to India, sailed from Spain to bring his idea to life. But something more grandiose happened: on October 12, 1492, the lookout on the ship Pinta shouted “Land! Earth!" and the world is no longer the same. Nobody thought to open the whole continent. Columbus clung to the idea for the rest of his life that it was just a small archipelago to the east of India. The idea that he discovered the continent did not fit in his head, like many of his contemporaries.
For many centuries, great thinkers and scientists talked only about Europe, Africa and Asia. Could it be that the authorities were wrong and did not have the full knowledge? Have the scriptures lost sight of half the world? To move on, people needed to throw off these shackles of ancient traditions and accept the fact that they do not know all the answers. They themselves need to find answers and learn the world anew.
To develop new territories and rule new lands, a colossal amount of new knowledge about flora, fauna, geography, Aboriginal culture, land history and much more was required. Old textbooks and ancient traditions will not help here, a new approach is needed - a scientific approach.
Over time, cards with white spots began to appear, which even more attracted adventurers. One example is the 1525 Salviati map below. No one knows what awaits you beyond the next cape. No one knows what new you will learn and how useful it will be for you and society.
But this discovery did not immediately change the consciousness of all mankind. New lands attracted only Europeans. The Ottomans were too busy with their traditional expansion of influence through the conquest of their neighbors, and the Chinese were not at all interested in this. It cannot be said that the new lands were too far from them, that they could not swim there. 60 years before the discovery of America by Columbus, the Chinese sailed to the eastern coast of Africa and their technology was enough to begin the development of America. But they didn't. Perhaps due to the fact that this idea was too encroaching on their traditions and went against them. Then this revolution had not yet occurred in their head, and when they and the Ottomans realized it was already too late, since the Europeans had already captured most of the land.
How We Started to Believe in the Future
The desire to explore uncharted paths, not only on land, but also in science, is not the only reason why modern man is so confident in the further emergence of innovations. The thirst for discovery gave way to the idea of progress. The essence of the idea is this: if you admit your ignorance and invest in research, things will go smoothly.
People who believed in the idea of progress also believed that geographical discoveries, technical inventions, the development of communications would increase the total amount of production, trade and wealth. The new trade routes across the Atlantic could be profitable without disrupting the old trade routes across the Indian Ocean. New goods appeared, but the production of the old ones did not decrease. The idea also quickly gained economic expression in the form of economic growth and the active use of credit.
At its core, credit is raising money in the present at the expense of the future, based on the assumption that we will have more money in the future than in the present. Credit existed even before the scientific revolution, but the fact is that people did not want to give or take loans because they did not hope for a better future. Usually they thought that the best was in the past, and the future may be even worse than the present. Therefore, if in ancient times loans were issued, then for the most part for a short period and at very high interest rates.
Everyone believed that the universal pie was limited, and maybe even gradually reduced. If you succeeded and grabbed a big piece of the pie, then you cheated someone. Therefore, in many cultures, “making money” was a sinful act. If the Scandinavian king had more money, then most likely he conducted a successful raid on England and took away part of their resources. If your shop brings a large profit, then you have taken money from a competitor. No matter how you cut the pie, it won't get any bigger.
Credit is the difference between what is now and what will be later. If the pie is the same and there is no difference, then what is the point of issuing a loan? As a result, new enterprises were practically not opened, and the economy was marking time. And since the economy was not growing, no one believed in its growth. The result was a vicious circle that lasted for many centuries.
But with the advent of new markets, new tastes in people, new discoveries and innovations, the pie began to grow. Now people have the opportunity to get rich not only by taking from their neighbor, especially if you create something new.
Now we are once again caught in a vicious circle, which is already based on faith in the future. The constant progress and constant growth of the pie gives people confidence in the workability of this idea. Trust breeds credit, credit leads to economic growth, economic growth breeds faith in the future. When we believe in the future, we move towards progress.
What to expect next?
We have exchanged one vicious circle for another. Whether this is good or bad, everyone can determine for himself. If before we were marking time, now we are running. We run faster and faster and cannot stop, because our heart beats so fast that we think it will fly out of our chest if we stop. Therefore, we rather than believe in innovation, we cannot afford not to believe in it.
Now we are moving forward, in the hope that this will improve the lives of future generations, make our lives more convenient and safer. And we believe that innovation will be able to, or at least will try to meet this challenge.
We don't know how far this idea of progress will take us. Perhaps, over time, our heart will not withstand such loads and still make us stop. Perhaps we will continue to run at such a speed that we can take off and turn into a completely new species, which will no longer be called a person in its modern form. And this species will build a new vicious circle on ideas that are still incomprehensible to us.
The most important weapons of man have always been two things - ideas and myths. The idea of picking up a stick, the idea of building an institution like a state, the idea of using money, the idea of progress—they all shape our approach. The myth of human rights, the myth of gods and religions, the myth of nationality, the myth of a beautiful future - they are all designed to unite us and consolidate the power of our approach. I don't know if we will continue to use these weapons as we run the marathon, but I think they will be very difficult to replace.
Source: habr.com