Top ten innovations of the last 250 years

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by GePap


English Patriotism, perhaps. NOt Nationalism. Different thing.

The fact Romans were proud to be Romans did not make them Roman Nationalists. Ditto for Athenians, or anyone beforehand.

Ok, so whats your definition of nationalism.

My impression is that the average middle class town dwelling Englishman in say, 1590, is not only proud of the realm and supportive of the monarch, but has a strong sense of NOT wanting to be ruled by a Spanish dynasty, qua Spanish. Elizabeth calls herself "mere (ie pure) English" The attachment to the Tudors, by that point, is about more than dynastic legitimacy - its partly about religion, but even that is driven to some degree by national loyalty.

Now its true theres no articulated ideology relating government to language, culture and other "national" charecteristics. But is that not to some degree a matter of philosophy, as the owl of minerva, crying at dusk - IE describing phenomena AFTER they happen. Surely one wouldnt say that capitalism wasnt invented till Turgot or Adam Smith (the 18thc guy, not the poster)? They DISCOVERED capitalism so to speak, they didnt invent it. Similarly with regard to nationalism I think.

OTOH it could be argued that nationalism, unlike capitalism (but like socialism) IS an ideology, and not a social system, and so its not possible to be unconsciously nationalistic.

Hmm. I think there are arguements both ways.

[DaShi]

True, without the internet humanity is trapped!

"Mankind is a creature that no longer evolves.Compared to other animals the incident of cancer in man is exceeding the small.One theory states that man a neoteny and is no longer able to evolve.If this is actually true,then what an absurd creature man has ultimately evolved into.Not knowing what drives them or even keeps them alive,they keep their bodies merely to satisfy the desires of the flesh.They're worthless,don't you think?That's all mankind is when it comes down to it.However,you don't have to remain a wretched human being forever.Mankind has finally created an exit.Whereby he can cheat mortality and escape.The network.The wired is the way."

[Colon™]

In 14th century Brabant (located in present day's Belgium) there was a case was a case of a heiress who married with a "foreigner" (Bohemian). When the Duke of Brabant died and she had to rise to throne, opposition rose as the people of Brabant were afraid Brabant would be bequeathed to a foreigner if she died, so she had to agree to constitution that specified the Duchy had to remain undivided and could only be transferred to someone who was from Brabant. So even back then there surely was something more going on than simple loyalty to the monarch.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Colon
In 14th century Brabant (located in present day's Belgium) there was a case was a case of a heiress who married with a "foreigner" (Bohemian). When the Duke of Brabant died and she had to rise to throne, opposition rose as the people of Brabant were afraid Brabant would be bequeathed to a foreigner if she died, so she had to agree to constitution that specified the Duchy had to remain undivided and could only be transferred to someone who was from Brabant. So even back then there surely was something more going on than simple loyalty to the monarch.

well that didnt work out too well now, did it?

[RGBVideo]

My vote goes for porcelain toilets

Alva: What pill?

[Tiamat]

HellOOOOoooooooo schmoooooooie! The tampon.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
My impression is that the average middle class town dwelling Englishman in say, 1590, is not only proud of the realm and supportive of the monarch, but has a strong sense of NOT wanting to be ruled by a Spanish dynasty, qua Spanish.

That had a lot more to do with the monarch being a murdering Catholic bastard than being a Spaniard.

[Q Classic]

Tampons have been around since the dawn of time. Previously, they were called "detrodia", or Greek for "Wad of cotton that stops bleeding from an axe wound."

[Tiamat]

Last time I looked I didn't have an axe inserted and I would think that an axe isn't exactly going where a tampon is

[Asher]

Re: Top ten innovations of the last 250 years

Originally posted by GePap
So, nice mindless list thread. List, in order or decending importance, what you view as the top ten innovations of the last 250 years (since 1755) of course. Ideas are allowed obviously, not only things, or machines.

1. Steam power
2. Electricity
3. Anti-biotics and vacines
4. Internal Combustion engine
5. High explosives (TNT and so forth)
6. High grade steel
7. Chemical fertilizers
8. Nationalism
9. Atomic fission
10. Transistor.

How many of these are courtesy of philosophers?

[chequita guevara]

Re: Re: Top ten innovations of the last 250 years

Originally posted by Asher

How many of these are courtesy of philosophers?

Nationalism, electricity, steam power, and maybe a couple others.

[Asher]

Re: Re: Re: Top ten innovations of the last 250 years

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Nationalism, electricity, steam power, and maybe a couple others.

Nationalism maybe (and what a great contribution).

William Gilbert (electricity) was a scientist.

Thomas Savery (steam power) was an engineer.

[JohnT]

The Medical Revolution. The germ theory of disease and its applications alone essentially doubled the lifespan of every person in the world. The ability to modify the genome admits man to a power to modify himself unknown before this time. How could it not be #1?

The Industrial Revolution. The "Great Wall" that separates us from the peoples of pre-1800, this great, unforseen, unplanned wave of innovation swept over Europe and her colonies in the 1800s, cementing her control of the world and her irrevocable changing of its course to the joys and perils of modernization.

The communications Revolution. Point-to-point and mass communications for billions of people across the world. Education ready at a mouse click, revolutionary instructions given in a 10-second phone call, teachers in Africa talking about key world events. All of it, available to the common man... inconcievable in 1755. Hell, the AI's just might take over in a Singularity event... if that happens, it'll be hard to say this isn't #1. But not yet...

The Transporation revolution. The average person's "radius of living" was likely 2 miles in 1755 - more if you were an educated Londoner, less if you were a Russian serf. Today, hundreds of millions of people worldwide routinely travel 50, 100, 5,000 miles in a day, spreading germs, ideas, products, and their seed.

The Energy Revolution. Electricity, nukes, rockets, petroleum... the ability to extract power from nature is at heights unparalleled in human existence.

[GePap]

Re: Re: Top ten innovations of the last 250 years

Originally posted by Asher

How many of these are courtesy of philosophers?

All the ones based on the notion of science, given that the idea that the world can be examined empirically was a philosophical notion.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by JohnT
The ability to modify the genome admits man to a power to modify himself unknown before this time.

Cybernetics also allows man to modify himself in all sorts of fantastic ways.