<\/a><\/noindex>The phrase that changed everything<\/h2>\n \nThroughout history, people have continuously recorded empirical observations, but their value was low, as people believed that all truly essential knowledge had already been obtained from ancient philosophers and prophets. For centuries, the most important way to acquire knowledge was considered to be the study and execution of existing traditions. Why waste time searching for new answers when we already have answers to all questions?<\/p>\n
Loyalty to traditions was the only chance to reclaim the glorious past. Inventions could at best slightly refine the traditional way of life, but they aimed not to infringe upon the traditions themselves. Because of this reverence for the past, many ideas and inventions were considered expressions of pride and were discarded outright. If even the great philosophers and prophets of the past could not resolve the problems of hunger and morality, what chance do we have?<\/p>\n
Many are likely familiar with the stories of Icarus, the Tower of Babel, or the Golem. They taught that any attempt to exceed the boundaries set for humanity would have terrible repercussions. If you lacked certain knowledge, you likely turned to a wiser person rather than trying to find answers on your own. Besides, curiosity (the idea of 'eating the apple') was not particularly esteemed in some cultures.<\/p>\n
No one needed to uncover what no one had known before. Why should I delve into the workings of a spider's web or the functioning of our immune system if the ancient sages and scholars didn't consider it important enough to write about?<\/p>\n
As a result, for a long period, people lived within this vacuum of traditions and ancient knowledge, not even considering that their worldview was quite limited. But then we made one of the most significant discoveries that laid the groundwork for the scientific revolution \u2014 ignorance. 'I don\u2019t know' might be one of the most crucial phrases in our history that prompted us to seek answers. The realization that people did not have answers to the most important questions made us change our attitude toward existing knowledge.<\/p>\n
The absence of answers was viewed as a sign of weakness, and this stance has not disappeared. Some people still refuse to acknowledge their ignorance on certain issues and present themselves as 'experts' just to avoid appearing weak. If even modern individuals find it challenging to say 'I don\u2019t know', it\u2019s hard to imagine what it was like in a society where answers had been given to all questions.<\/p>\n
How ignorance expanded our world<\/h2>\n \nIndeed, statements about human ignorance have existed since ancient times. One need only recall the phrase 'I know that I know nothing,' attributed to Socrates. However, the widespread acknowledgment of ignorance that sparked a passion for discoveries emerged somewhat later\u2014with the discovery of an entire continent, which was accidentally or mistakenly named after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci.<\/p>\n
Here is the Fra Mauro map, created in the 1450s (an inverted version, familiar to modern eyes). It appears so detailed that it gives the impression that Europeans already knew every corner of the world. And most importantly\u2014there are no blank spots.<\/p>\n
For many centuries, great thinkers and scholars spoke only of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Were the authorities mistaken and did they lack the full breadth of knowledge? Did the Holy Scriptures overlook half of the world? To move forward, people needed to shed the shackles of ancient traditions and acknowledge the fact that they did not have answers to all questions. They themselves needed to seek out answers and rediscover the world.<\/p>\n
To conquer new territories and rule over new lands, an enormous amount of new knowledge about flora, fauna, geography, indigenous cultures, the history of lands, and much more was required. Old textbooks and ancient traditions would not suffice; a new approach\u2014a scientific approach\u2014was needed.<\/p>\n
Over time, maps with blank spots began to emerge, which even more strongly lured adventurers. One example is the Salviati map from 1525 below. No one knows what awaits beyond the next cape. No one knows what new things you will learn and how beneficial they will be for you and society.<\/p>\n
How We Began to Believe in the Future<\/h2>\n \nThe desire to explore uncharted paths, not only on land but also in science, is not the only reason modern man is so confident about the future of innovations. The thirst for discovery paved the way for the emergence of the idea of progress. The essence of this idea is: if one acknowledges their ignorance and invests in research, things will improve.<\/p>\n
People who believed in the idea of progress also believed that geographical discoveries, technical inventions, and developing connections would increase the overall volume of production, trade, and wealth. New trade routes across the Atlantic could generate profits without undermining existing trade routes through the Indian Ocean. New goods emerged, while the production of previous ones did not decline. This idea also quickly gained economic expression in the form of economic growth and active credit usage.<\/p>\n
At its core, credit is the attraction of money in the present based on the future assumption that we will have more money later than we do now. Credit existed even before the scientific revolution, but the issue was that people were reluctant to provide or take loans because they had little hope for a better future. Generally, they believed that the best times were in the past, and the future could be even worse than the present. Therefore, in ancient times, if loans were given, they were mostly for short periods and at very high interest rates.<\/p>\n
Everyone believed that the cosmic pie was limited, or perhaps even gradually diminishing. If you succeeded and took a large piece of the pie, it meant you deprived someone else. Therefore, in many cultures, 'making money' was considered a sinful act. If a Scandinavian king amassed more wealth, it was likely due to a successful raid on England where he seized some of their resources. If your shop generates substantial profit, it means you took money away from a competitor. No matter how you slice the pie, it won't become any larger.<\/p>\n
Credit is the difference between what exists now and what will come later. If the pie remains the same and there's no difference, then what's the point of giving credit? As a result, new businesses were hardly opened, and the economy stagnated. Since the economy wasn't growing, no one believed in its potential for growth. It became a vicious cycle that lasted for centuries.<\/p>\n
But with the emergence of new markets, new tastes among people, and new discoveries and innovations, the pie began to grow. Now people have the opportunity to enrich themselves not just by taking from their neighbors, especially if you create something new.<\/p>\n
Currently, we find ourselves in another vicious cycle, this time based on faith in the future. Constant progress and consistent growth of the pie foster people's trust in the effectiveness of this idea. Trust creates credit, credit leads to economic growth, and economic growth fosters belief in the future. When we believe in the future, we move towards progress.<\/p>\n
What to expect next?<\/h2>\n \nWe have shifted from one vicious cycle to another. Whether this is good or bad is for each person to determine. If before we were stagnating, now we are running. We are running faster and faster and cannot stop, as our hearts beat so rapidly it feels like they might leap from our chests if we halt. Thus, we seem not just to believe in innovations; we cannot afford to not believe in them.<\/p>\n
Now we are moving forward, hoping that this will improve the lives of future generations, making our lives more convenient and secure. And we believe that innovations will be able to, or at least attempt to, tackle this challenge.<\/p>\n
It is unknown how far this idea of progress will take us. Perhaps over time our hearts will not withstand such burdens and will indeed force us to stop. Maybe we will continue to run at such a pace that we can take flight and transform into a completely new species, one that will be difficult to call human in its current form. And this species will build a new closed loop of ideas that are currently beyond our comprehension.<\/p>\n
The two main weapons of humanity have always been ideas and myths. The idea of taking a stick, the idea of building an institution like the state, the idea of using money, the idea of progress \u2014 all of them shape our approach. The myth of human rights, the myth of gods and religions, the myth of national identity, the myth of a bright future \u2014 all of them are meant to unite us and consolidate the power of our approach. I don\u2019t know if we will use this weapon as we continue our marathon, but I believe it will be very difficult to replace.habr.com<\/a><\/p>","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u0418\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0446\u0438\u0438 \u0441\u0442\u0430\u043b\u0438 \u043e\u0431\u044b\u0434\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c\u044e. \u0418 \u0440\u0435\u0447\u044c \u043d\u0435 \u0438\u0434\u0435\u0442 \u043e \u0442\u0430\u043a\u0438\u0445 \u0441\u043e\u0432\u0440\u0435\u043c\u0435\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0445 \u201c\u0438\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0446\u0438\u044f\u0445\u201d, \u043a\u0430\u043a \u0442\u0435\u0445\u043d\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0433\u0438\u044f \u0442\u0440\u0430\u0441\u0441\u0438\u0440\u043e\u0432\u043a\u0438 \u043b\u0443\u0447\u0435\u0439 \u043d\u0430 \u0432\u0438\u0434\u0435\u043e\u043a\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0430\u0445 RTX \u043e\u0442 Nvidia \u0438\u043b\u0438 50-\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0442\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0437\u0443\u043c \u0432 \u043d\u043e\u0432\u043e\u043c \u0441\u043c\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0444\u043e\u043d\u0435 \u043e\u0442 Huawei. \u042d\u0442\u0438 \u0432\u0435\u0449\u0438 \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0435\u0437\u043d\u0435\u0435 \u043c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0435\u0442\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0433\u0430\u043c, \u0447\u0435\u043c \u043f\u043e\u043b\u044c\u0437\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044f\u043c. \u0420\u0435\u0447\u044c \u043e \u043d\u0430\u0441\u0442\u043e\u044f\u0449\u0438\u0445 \u0438\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0446\u0438\u044f\u0445, \u043a\u043e\u0442\u043e\u0440\u044b\u0435 \u0432 \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0447\u0438\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u0441\u0442\u0435\u043f\u0435\u043d\u0438 \u0438\u0437\u043c\u0435\u043d\u0438\u043b\u0438 \u043d\u0430\u0448 \u043f\u043e\u0434\u0445\u043e\u0434 \u0438 \u0432\u0437\u0433\u043b\u044f\u0434 \u043d\u0430 \u0436\u0438\u0437\u043d\u044c. \u0412 \u0442\u0435\u0447\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435 500 \u043b\u0435\u0442, \u0430 \u043e\u0441\u043e\u0431\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":1,"featured_media":22830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[702],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t