• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

History's most important invention

Any array of communication techniques, verbal or non-verbal, etc.
 
Any array of communication techniques, verbal or non-verbal, etc.

the ability to store information which of course starts with writing

electricity

the internal combustion engine

radio

metallurgy
 
the ability to store information which of course starts with writing

electricity

the internal combustion engine

radio

metallurgy

Paintings, oral recitation.
 
The vibrator..




For soil compaction....building roads .... what'd you think I was talkin' about?

Thom Paine
 
I don't think we could consider language an invention, but rather just an evolutionary skill.

Language that is written would be number 1 in front of fire, with number three the wheel. Those I think are the founding inventions of man and allow civilization as we know it.
 
Paintings, oral recitation.

true but the written word really allowed education and knowledge to be cumulatively stored

that is what led to lots of other inventions
 
Language that is written would be number 1 in front of fire, with number three the wheel. Those I think are the founding inventions of man and allow civilization as we know it.

Writing and language are two different things, but I still don't think they would be considered inventions. They were evolutionary skills in communication. The invention of writing tools may qualify though.
 
the concept of currency. think what that did. it allowed divisions of labor, and the creation of cities
 
of all time - the wheel

'modern times' - Penicillin
 
Written language. ;)

Language still isn't an invention, nor is writing. The tools may be.

Neanderthal Joe wasn't just sitting under the tree one day, and think to himself, "Hmmmm, I think if I could invent a language, it would revolutionize the world". ;) Language evolved with the need to communicate.
 
Language still isn't an invention, nor is writing. The tools may be.

Writing is an invention, as far as I am aware.

It wasn't something that we instinctively knew how to do. It was something we gradually started developing shortly after we stumbled upon agriculture, and perfected only around 5000 or so years ago.

Neanderthal Joe wasn't just sitting under the tree one day, and think to himself, "Hmmmm, I think if I could invent a language, it would revolutionize the world". ;) Language evolved with the need to communicate.

True, but the idea of a codified set of symbols meant to accurately convey ideas and preserve knowledge for later generations goes a little bit deeper than that. :)
 
Last edited:
My opinion may be controversial, but here goes:

Religion
 
Writing and language are two different things, but I still don't think they would be considered inventions. They were evolutionary skills in communication. The invention of writing tools may qualify though.

Kinda hard to write without writing tools. I would say that writing is an invention and we are the ONLY ones to it, unlike language which is not unique to our species. Writing as a concept is our first attempt to artificially store knowledge and memories. The language part of writing isn't the invention, its the idea of storing it in other than your head.
 
Kinda hard to write without writing tools. I would say that writing is an invention and we are the ONLY ones to it, unlike language which is not unique to our species. Writing as a concept is our first attempt to artificially store knowledge and memories. The language part of writing isn't the invention, its the idea of storing it in other than your head.

Well, the first writing tools were sharp stones, twigs, pieces of natural pigments from minerals, etc. I wouldn't consider those inventions.
 
Back
Top Bottom