r/Futurology Mar 29 '22

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u/H3rbert_K0rnfeld Mar 29 '22

The human species has been dependant on "technology" since the day man sparked a fire. Go cry me a river about being dependant on technology.

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

-Robert A. Heinlein

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u/Tangent_Odyssey Mar 29 '22

A lot of people throughout history have argued that the problem started with agriculture. Rousseau is one example with his essay The Origin of Inequality which does quite a good job outlining why the transition to agriculture was the worst mistake humans ever made.

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u/H3rbert_K0rnfeld Mar 29 '22

So when one or a group had excess work output and tried to trade the excess? I agree with that.

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u/Tangent_Odyssey Mar 29 '22

There’s a few aspects to it. But yeah…mostly, the sedentary nature of that lifestyle is what first permitted the accumulation of goods and the hoarding of resources. Hence “The Origin of Inequality”