Bored? How about some UFO's!
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mind control"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson
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falconcry72 wrote: »It is very true that technology, as a general term, enabled the population increase, but the specific technologies in question here (computers and the Shuttle) came about after the population had grown into the several billion, and it was this mass workforce/consumerism that supplied the labor and money necessary for those more recent technologies.
I'm not in this 'debate', but the main thing a population increase does is make the odds better an Einstein will be born. Of course, if he/she does not have access to good nutrition, and a decent school system, then so much for brain power.Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
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That graph you posted is exactly what an exponential growth graph looks like - from the beginning until now. An exponential growth always starts with a slow and fairly linear growth before reaching the point of large increases that overtake a linear growth. If you need confirmation of what I state, please take a look at the exponential growth article on Wikipedia.falconcry72 wrote: »Not true. Look at this graph again. Humans have existed for a couple million years. Modern humans (Homo Sapien Sapiens) have existed for 200,000 years. Global population growth did not become exponential until about 500 years ago. That is extremely recent.
*Really Large Image Would Have Been Here*
I see where you are coming from with your thoughts on needing a larger population for technology to be as widespread as it is, but it's not that simple. To start with, a smaller population does not mean the technology never would have been created. Due to R&D costs versus production, each individual unit might end up more expensive. As such, it might not be as widespread, as the less wealthy may not be able to afford it. But, it's not really that simple either.falconcry72 wrote: »This question could be answered with volumes of books, so I'll try to hit a couple key points briefly:
The interconnected web of manufacturing plants necessary to create even a single micro chip is staggering. They are created by machines, who's parts are created by other machines, who's parts are created by other machines etc. There is an entire facility dedicated to creating every part of every machine that is used to create other machines that are used to create other machines that are used to create the tiniest components, say, a screw.
Now think about an airplane. Every single nut, bolt, and other tiny component has a dedicated manufacturing facility somewhere. We're talking about companies sourcing from companies who source from companies who source from other companies and so on.
The need for a giant population to create modern technologies that are inexpensive enough to be widespread is two-fold:
1) labor
2) money
I am not going to go any further here, but no modern technologies would be possible without the (2) factors I mentioned before:
- assembly line style mass production
- a giant population of workers and consumers
If a population were smaller, individual income may be affected. For example, if the population were smaller there would likely be less poverty, especially in the countries that are currently poorer and less advanced. As such, those people may end up with a better quality of life and allow them to afford luxuries such as the ones brought up in this discussion - something that they cannot afford now. This could raise the ratio of those who can afford it versus the population as a whole. This is something that could serve to offset the smaller population and actually make it just as widespread, or possibly even more.
Another point to think about is that the countries that are poorer and less advanced today might not have been so if the population were smaller. As such, those countries may have been able to afford to be involved in developing and manufacturing advanced technologies. This also could have helped to make advanced technologies more widespread.
It's just not that simple, please see above.falconcry72 wrote: »It is very true that technology, as a general term, enabled the population increase, but the specific technologies in question here (computers and the Shuttle) came about after the population had grown into the several billion, and it was this mass workforce/consumerism that supplied the labor and money necessary for those more recent technologies.
Exactly. It is much more complicated than Falconcry72 is making it out to be. The truth is we will never know for sure how population will affect innovation unless we can travel into an alternate timelines.Many scholars have debated these issues and 'most' can not agree with each other. Population Pressure has been a variable in theories of the development of civilization at 'least' since the time of Plato. Even Vulgar Materialists in my field posit at least four intertwining and interdependent variables for cultural change and innovation: Population Pressure, Economic, Technological and Environmental/Ecological (degradation, circumscription and so on). And frankly, for the most part, we find 'materialist' explanations to be less than satisfying. I wish it were as easy as showing a few 'curves' over a number of centuries because that would make teaching about these things easier. But alas...the jury is out.
It really is fun to discuss this kind of thing. As you mention, population changes have both negative and positive effects.But it is fun to speculate nonetheless. Then there is always the problem that this population has created both wealth and prosperity and also great famine, disease and suffering. Depends on what side of the 1st/3rd world divide you live in?
But how did we get so far afield of UFOs here?
cnh
Those are also excellent points. There may have been more geniuses like Einstein that were never able to reach their potential due to extreme poverty and poor education.I'm not in this 'debate', but the main thing a population increase does is make the odds better an Einstein will be born. Of course, if he/she does not have access to good nutrition, and a decent school system, then so much for brain power. -
Here's a wandering responce to mental advancements due to population and the funding or feeding of the mentalities that have helped our societies, particularly our recent age.
I was an Einstein type but was born in a middle-class family that could not afford to pay for my much needed and DESIRED educational advancement. So I sliped through the cracks. My other intrests were I found some girls around me quite attractive. So much so I left my academia superiority dreams of grandure for ancient mating ritual courtship practices.
That was my generational decisions that had to be made for some of us.
Now, below is some of the next generations atributes.
Remember.?..Challenge everything was their motto..
And...You can't disipline me, I'll tell my councelor and you'll go to jail.( I heard that personally )
Below is my step daughters' modern mindset;
At least I sent my step daughter through 4 years here at UNCW just to hear her say one day she is superior in knowlege than I am since she has a DEGREE. She asked if I had one.......
Degrees in my time were NOT CHEAP and there weren't many institutions giving loans unless you had a high grade average. But the costs were WAY out of my reach pretty much anyway. I was paying rent to my parents at 17 1/2. How many had to do that route!!!!! I don't think many! If I got behind, I had to catch up later.
Her superior knowlege has somehow discarded the fact that with out my funding, she would've had a choice to get out of My house and survive on her own or go to college with loans to be paid back over thirty years. She never even had to think about funds for food, roof over her head and bills. People can just about show up to class and get a degree if they just PAY the Universities their tuitions. Are they smart? If they really have that desire in their guts, they will advance in their selected fields of study, and help our civilization.
But this kind of Intelligence is very common nowadays.....SAD. She spent 4 yrs. studying? to be a teacher and has spent 0 days as a teacher since her graduation.
The ones who fought and sacrificed for their knowlege advancements are probably the ones who dreamed outside of the box and advanced our civilization.
If UFO's and their pilots are friendly and proven real, RELIGIONS are in jeopardy big time!
I like thinking out of the box sometimes and those UfO shows feed that curiosity very well.
It's all fun until the aliens are real and like someone said earlier, (Georgegrand), they want to eat us!
I think Hydraulics Helped this technical revolution right after electricitys' importance.Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
