The global literacy rate two hundred years ago, at the dawn of the industrial revolution, is estimated to be under 20% [1]. Today it's over 80% because the cont

The global literacy rate two hundred years ago, at the dawn of the industrial revolution, is estimated to be under 20% [1]. Today it's over 80% because the contributions of a small number of inventors raised the tide for everyone, increasing access to education. Half the world couldn't even read until the mid-1960s. Knowledge has always been unevenly distributed and most people who succeed do so because they were born into a supportive environment. It's unreasonable to expect that from seven billion people when a significant fraction of them grew up with illiterate elders. [1] https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/how-was-life_9789264214262-en#page96 https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/how-was-life_978926...