Ancient Engineering, 1 in a series

I hereby commence a new series!!!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Mrcropper
• series
• ancient
• engineering
• Sprague
• DeCamp
• innovation
• technology

[nine9s]

"Civilization causes humanity's stock to be diminished as it enables those with unfavorable characteristics to live and reproduce."

A "favorable characteristic" is contextual. Evolution favors traits that work now, not 100k years ago. In caveman days, what sustained one's life was physical animalistic capabilities. Today, people who only have physical strength are at a disadvantage. And who wants to live as a strong dumb animal, anyway? No one ever said "I want to be an ox when I grow up."

[MrCropper]

" No one ever said "I want to be an ox when I grow up.""

Lol!!! I concur! : )

Well, I HOPE no one ever said that...

[zenguin13]

In your future sessions will you be extrapolating what could be in store

for humankind in genetics and exploration of the universe?

[MrCropper]

" will you be extrapolating what could be in store

for humankind in genetics and exploration of the universe?"

Probably not in this series, which concerns the ancient world.

[nine9s]

If anything reduces humanity's stock, it's the fact that smart/responsible people know the benefits of birth control and utilize it, while the dumb and irresponsible either can't be bothered with it or can't figure it out. :P

[Harvey2688]

If the one percent of humankind has accomplished so much, imagine what lies ahead for humanity. Arguably engineering techniques from the ancient world are not that far from our own. Machu Picchu's engineered water supply system was so advanced that it was more efficient at keeping away disease than victorian London. This shows that hydrological engineering techniques haven't come that far, which explains why one percent is a long time in the history of humanity

[Harvey2688]

I disagree that humanity's stock is diminshed through civilazation, if anything it increases as those with 'unfavourable characteristics' are given the oppurtunity to reproduce. Western civilazation gives anybody the oppurtunity to reproduce if they want to. Favourable evolution traits are virtually non-existent in the west, it is possible for a child to be born without the mother meeting the father. This leads to disease and defects in the human population

[zenguin13]

Sprague was correct in his assesment of free market enconomics in that time.

Sounds vaugely correct in these times as well.

[legendre007]

U.S. citizens need to get with the program and realize that that's true.

[legendre007]

MrCropper, it's interesting that U chose L. Sprague de Camp's book; DeCamp wrote on various topics. In 1 book on the history of inventors, he unfairly derided "libertarians" because he thought it was wrong for someone to champion free-market economics.

DeCamp also wrote fiction stories that were in the same "universe" as H. P. Lovecraft's horror tales. Is Lovecraft's fiction not your cup of tea?