I’ve often fantasized about returning to the primal period in earth’s history – the time before humans altered vast swaths of the land. It was a virtually endless, pristine wilderness, abundant with natural resources and animals unimaginable by today’s standards.
Here is a list, certainly not all-inclusive, of the advancements in human development that have accumulated to define modernity since then.
Materials:
-Wood, Stone, Clay, Rope, Bronze, Iron, Steel, Glass, Plastics, Textiles, Concrete, Nano Materials
Food:
-Foraging, Hunting, Domestication of Animals, Agriculture, Alcohol, Genetic Manipulation
Communication:
-Language, Smoke Signals, Paper/Writing, Cartography (Maps), Telegraph (Morse Code), Radio, Radar, TV, Telephones (Land Line, Cell, Smart Phones), Animation, Personal Computers (Internet), Wireless, Satellites, Postal System, Instant Messaging, Personal Video Cameras
Weapons:
-Spear, Bow + Arrow, Sword, Gun Powder, Guns, Artillery, Tanks, Rockets, Missiles, Nuclear Bomb, Predator Drones
Transportation:
-Foot Travel, Roads, Horses, Boats (Row, Sail), Canals, Submarines, Railroads, Automobiles, Aviation (Blimp/Balloon, Helicopter, Planes), System of Roads/Highways, Tunnels, Space Flight
Fuel:
-Fire (Wood), Coal, Oil, Water, Wind, Solar, Nuclear, Electrical Grid (Copper Wires, Light Bulbs), Batteries, Natural Gas
Cultural:
-Art, Science, Religion, Philosophy, Government, Money, Markets, Business, Education, Architecture, Water Systems (Plumbing, Canals, Irrigation), Social Hierarchy (Royalty, Class Divisions), Industrialization, Capitalization, Legal Infrastructure (Incorporation, Limited Liability, Bankruptcy, Patents/Copyrights), Prisons, Recording/Studying History, Concept of Sustainability, Mass Production
Scientific:
-Method of Experimentation/Observation/Duplicating Results/Peer Review, Photography (Chemical, Digital), Time Keeping, Refrigeration, Heating/Cooling, Microscopes, Telescopes, Astronomy, Hubble Deep Field Image, Theory of Gravity, Theory of Evolution, Logic, Discovery of Bacteria/Cells, Discovery of Black Holes, Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, Particle Accelerators, Deep Sea Exploration, Climatology, Meteorology, Seismology, Volcanology, Oceanography, Linneus’ Classifications of Biology, Big Bang Theory, Theories of Dark Matter + Dark Energy, Geometry, Trigonometry, Algebra, Calculus, Economics, Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, Chemistry, Round Earth, Sun-Centered Solar System, Binary Digital Data Storage, Micro Silicon Chips, LCD Screens, Quantum Physics, Radio Half-Life Carbon Dating, Paleontology
Medical:
-Vaccines, Sanitation, Techniques of Surgery, Anatomical Knowledge, Birth Control, Pharmaceuticals, Anesthetic, X-Rays/MRIs, Hypodermic Needles, Blood Typing, Clinical Trials, Discovery of Placebo Effect
The War of Ideas 