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Energy and materials. In particular, discovery and exploitation of hydrocarbons changed the entire trajectory of human technology development. It is very inter
by walleeee 1y ago
Energy and materials. In particular, discovery and exploitation of hydrocarbons changed the entire trajectory of human technology development.
It is very interesting to wonder if we may have seen "convergent evolution" towards certain technologies with different physical circumstances, but I think it's safe to say our species' (and planet's) future is forever altered by the massive biogeochemical battery, trickle-charged over eons, which we are discharging as rapidly as possible.
- philipkglass 1y agoI'd say that the more proximate factor is knowledge. Fossil fuels have been around longer than humanity, and the earliest human usage of them was prehistoric: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_coal_mining#Early_history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_coal_mining#Early_h... The oldest intentional use of black coal was documented in Ostrava, Petřkovice, in a settlement from the older Stone Age on the top of Landek Hill. According to radiocarbon dating, the site falls within the period 25,000–23,000 years BC. The Industrial Revolution wasn't when people first learned about fossil fuels, but it was when we started turning heat into mechanical work at scale.
- walleeee 1y agoAgreed, knowledge of how to use an energy source is as important as its presence. The former will not have the opportunity to emerge without the latter, though the former may be the more proximate cause of a "revolution". (I think it's important to emphasize material inputs because it is a common and very consequential misconception that prosperity is driven by human ingenuity alone.) I didn't know that about coal! Thanks.