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> I often wonder how different history would be if it was never invented, so much time and money sunk into its endless pit, holding back all progress. History

> I often wonder how different history would be if it was never invented, so much time and money sunk into its endless pit, holding back all progress. History would be sad and meaningless, and many of the conveniences which we take for granted today, such as public schooling and hospitals all around the country likely wouldn't exist.

ck2 4y ago
That's not even remotely true, plenty of civilizations and societies have all those things without active/overwhelming religion. Religion is a means of controlling the masses, the original method. When the promise of a "better afterlife" is not enough, then they invent the warnings of punishment like "hell". Then they invent ways for the wealthy to buy their way in by giving money to the religion. Like anyone knows the "rules" or how anything works, especially if invented before microscopes, telescopes or even glasses.
- sashenka 4y ago
- yjftsjthsd-h 4y ago
  > plenty of civilizations and societies have all those things without active/overwhelming religion. What civilizations would those be?
Retric 4y ago
The link between religion/philosophy and education seems strong because people didn’t separate the concepts. It’s only recently that we have developed the idea that religion is the stuff people believe without evidence. Before that any concept of teaching a general education would have included religion simply because it’s part of what was believed to be true and important. In the end many cultures developed education systems because passing on information from a single teacher to multiple students is simply efficient. The only way a lack of religion would have prevented this is if it prevented the formation of societies which seem unlikely. Hospitals similarly developed across cultures as soon as population density made grouping large numbers of the sick together. Suggesting more than a superficial link to religion is simply not looking closely enough at the root causes. Armies treated their injured together simply due to efficiency concerns, cities doing the same is hardly surprising.
hoseja 4y ago
More likely, another self-preserving meme would have made them in the name of increasing martial efficiency of the population.

ck2 4y ago

That's not even remotely true, plenty of civilizations and societies have all those things without active/overwhelming religion. Religion is a means of controlling the masses, the original method. When the promise of a "better afterlife" is not enough, then they invent the warnings of punishment like "hell". Then they invent ways for the wealthy to buy their way in by giving money to the religion. Like anyone knows the "rules" or how anything works, especially if invented before microscopes, telescopes or even glasses.

sashenka 4y ago
yjftsjthsd-h 4y ago
> plenty of civilizations and societies have all those things without active/overwhelming religion. What civilizations would those be?

Retric 4y ago

The link between religion/philosophy and education seems strong because people didn’t separate the concepts. It’s only recently that we have developed the idea that religion is the stuff people believe without evidence. Before that any concept of teaching a general education would have included religion simply because it’s part of what was believed to be true and important. In the end many cultures developed education systems because passing on information from a single teacher to multiple students is simply efficient. The only way a lack of religion would have prevented this is if it prevented the formation of societies which seem unlikely. Hospitals similarly developed across cultures as soon as population density made grouping large numbers of the sick together. Suggesting more than a superficial link to religion is simply not looking closely enough at the root causes. Armies treated their injured together simply due to efficiency concerns, cities doing the same is hardly surprising.

hoseja 4y ago

More likely, another self-preserving meme would have made them in the name of increasing martial efficiency of the population.