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I think we would have ended up here anyways: to assume that the silicon transistor would not have been invented without Morris Tanenbaum is to succumb to the Gr

I think we would have ended up here anyways: to assume that the silicon transistor would not have been invented without Morris Tanenbaum is to succumb to the Great Man theory[1]. The reality is that Morris was a brilliant man whose life intersected in the right place and time with the arc of history; we should celebrate his life and contributions for that, and not because we think that we'd be stuck in 1950 without them. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_man_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_man_theory

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phkahler 4y ago
Not sure but I think the question is more like "what if physics didn't allow transistors?" rather than if one guy didn't invent them. What's the next best thing, and how far would we have pushed it?
- hutzlibu 4y ago
  If transistors would not be possible, then lots of other stuff would not exist, like solar panels or digital cameras. Handy electricity conversion, etc. I think alternativly we would have miniaturized vacuum tubes much more, the ones that powered computers before transistors (and made them huge) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum-tube_computer https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum-tube_computer
  - djmips 4y ago
    Surprising to me - size reduced vacuum tubes happened and it's still being worked on in as I understand it. There are some quite miniature working vacuum tubes - if you search you'll find more information.
    - hutzlibu 4y ago
      They have the big advantage, that they are not sensitive to radiation, like transistors are.
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- intrasight 4y ago
  > what if physics didn't allow transistors?" Yes, because technology is discovered more than invented, this is a more interesting question. What are some others? What if biology didn't allow anesthetics? Or antibiotics? What if geology hadn't split up Pangea? Is there life because of a hospitable environment, or does a hospitable environment exist because of life? Just a quick list. I'm sure readers can add.
hyperthesis 4y ago
Inventions often seem to be simultaneous, as if the time had come for this problem to be recognized, and for the solution to be possible. However, I do think in some cases, a "great man" can make an invention earlier than otherwise - we should measure genius in units of time. We wouldn't be stuck in 1950 without him... but maybe we'd now be in 2018 without him. OTOH the "great man" fallacy encourages the intense and unpredictable work required for many inventions - why undermine that?
dennis_jeeves1 4y ago
You are correct. If I recollect the electric bulb had at least 10 inventors. In fact one of them was an Englishman who had patented it 2 years in England before Thomas Edison had patented it in America. The radio transmission/reception had two other inventors other than Marconi.

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phkahler 4y ago

Not sure but I think the question is more like "what if physics didn't allow transistors?" rather than if one guy didn't invent them. What's the next best thing, and how far would we have pushed it?

hutzlibu 4y ago
If transistors would not be possible, then lots of other stuff would not exist, like solar panels or digital cameras. Handy electricity conversion, etc. I think alternativly we would have miniaturized vacuum tubes much more, the ones that powered computers before transistors (and made them huge) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum-tube_computer https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum-tube_computer
- djmips 4y ago
  Surprising to me - size reduced vacuum tubes happened and it's still being worked on in as I understand it. There are some quite miniature working vacuum tubes - if you search you'll find more information.
  - hutzlibu 4y ago
    They have the big advantage, that they are not sensitive to radiation, like transistors are.
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intrasight 4y ago
> what if physics didn't allow transistors?" Yes, because technology is discovered more than invented, this is a more interesting question. What are some others? What if biology didn't allow anesthetics? Or antibiotics? What if geology hadn't split up Pangea? Is there life because of a hospitable environment, or does a hospitable environment exist because of life? Just a quick list. I'm sure readers can add.

hyperthesis 4y ago

Inventions often seem to be simultaneous, as if the time had come for this problem to be recognized, and for the solution to be possible. However, I do think in some cases, a "great man" can make an invention earlier than otherwise - we should measure genius in units of time. We wouldn't be stuck in 1950 without him... but maybe we'd now be in 2018 without him. OTOH the "great man" fallacy encourages the intense and unpredictable work required for many inventions - why undermine that?

dennis_jeeves1 4y ago

You are correct. If I recollect the electric bulb had at least 10 inventors. In fact one of them was an Englishman who had patented it 2 years in England before Thomas Edison had patented it in America. The radio transmission/reception had two other inventors other than Marconi.