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we can't rule out time travel forward on Earth. There is geological evidence of civilization destroying events 12k years ago, possibly more. I've often thou

we can't rule out time travel forward on Earth. There is geological evidence of civilization destroying events 12k years ago, possibly more. I've often thought about why it took 300-400k years to go from fire to agricultural-civilization, then tech takes off in under 5k years from that point. What if the time from fire to civilization was faster, but those civilizations were wiped out (by geological, astrological or self-inflicted reasons)?

phyrex 3y ago
There’s good evidence against that. All the easily mineable resources that a civilization needs to build more advanced technology will be used up by the first civilization. I’ve heard it said that if we destroy our current technology there will be no way to rebuild it because there’s no way to mine the resources to build it back up.
- ryandvm 3y ago
  Today's landfills are tomorrow's mines.
- jpadkins 3y ago
  Yes, I've read that without easily accessible surface level coal, there is no industrial revolution. Maybe the advanced past civilizations were based in what is now called Africa or Indonesia, and the UK was some remote frozen place where it wasn't worth it to mine the surface coal?
Shawnj2 3y ago
From what I’ve heard it’s completely plausible for pre industrial human civilizations to have existed and been wiped out in the past but anything past that point would leave things like heavy metals we could detect in the geological record.
delecti 3y ago
Technology begets itself. As you're less pressured by environmental limitations, you have more time to advance instead of just survive, which brings even more time to advance further faster, etc. Additionally language is a pretty huge factor for spreading knowledge, written language another huge factor, mass printing again, remote communication yet again, and mass digital communication yet again on top. It makes sense that each next leap in our past came faster than the previous.

phyrex 3y ago

There’s good evidence against that. All the easily mineable resources that a civilization needs to build more advanced technology will be used up by the first civilization. I’ve heard it said that if we destroy our current technology there will be no way to rebuild it because there’s no way to mine the resources to build it back up.

ryandvm 3y ago
Today's landfills are tomorrow's mines.
jpadkins 3y ago
Yes, I've read that without easily accessible surface level coal, there is no industrial revolution. Maybe the advanced past civilizations were based in what is now called Africa or Indonesia, and the UK was some remote frozen place where it wasn't worth it to mine the surface coal?

Shawnj2 3y ago

From what I’ve heard it’s completely plausible for pre industrial human civilizations to have existed and been wiped out in the past but anything past that point would leave things like heavy metals we could detect in the geological record.

delecti 3y ago

Technology begets itself. As you're less pressured by environmental limitations, you have more time to advance instead of just survive, which brings even more time to advance further faster, etc. Additionally language is a pretty huge factor for spreading knowledge, written language another huge factor, mass printing again, remote communication yet again, and mass digital communication yet again on top. It makes sense that each next leap in our past came faster than the previous.