Creation, discovery, advancement...

[MonkeyV]

...More difficult to achieve over time?

I mean, when, for example, mathematics was first created, someone had to think up the idea of numbers. This discovery took no advanced technology or schooling; all it took was intelligence and creativity.

It would make sense that to find out something new, you would have to know what is already known, and therefore, get more education. Living in the modern and advanced society we live in, it often takes years of schooling to just find out what the human race already knows, largely contrasting from what knowledge it took to think up numbers. As time goes on, more gets figured out, and there is less to discover as well.

On the other hand, technology develops along with knowledge. Technology makes discovery easier...

So what do you think? Does discovery become more difficult to achieve over time, or does advancing technology outweigh the speed at which things are discovered?

[RedDreadSky]

Definitely easier. With more advanced technology, discoveries are made easier. With more discoveries, comes more advanced technology.

[AshfordPride]

At 12/27/08 01:56 AM, MonkeyV wrote: and there is less to discover as well.

How do you know? It's mathematics. You have no idea of the limitations to it.

Sorry to be so blunt, but the amount of things to discover isn't shrinking, because... Well, it's not discovered, so who knows how much is there.

[AshfordPride]

At 12/27/08 01:57 AM, RedDreadSky wrote: With more advanced technology, discoveries are made easier.

Discover something new about your computer. Or your cell phone. Or your television.

Invent something for it.
Discover a new use for it.
Revolutionize it.

Go on. It's easy.

[MonkeyV]

At 12/27/08 01:59 AM, AshfordPride wrote:

At 12/27/08 01:56 AM, MonkeyV wrote: and there is less to discover as well.

How do you know? It's mathematics. You have no idea of the limitations to it.

Good point.
I had something to say to defend my point, but I can't even begin to think of what it was...

[Rape-bot]

It never really gets easier, or harder. We all just build upon what is already there for us.

[MonkeyV]

At 12/27/08 02:09 AM, Rape-bot wrote: It never really gets easier, or harder. We all just build upon what is already there for us.

To enlarge a skyscraper, you must first climb to the top.

[AshfordPride]

At 12/27/08 02:16 AM, MonkeyV wrote: To enlarge a skyscraper, you must first climb to the top.

Cranes.

[FantasyLuv]

If anything, all our creations, discoveries, and advancements, lead us to more quickly reach new creations, discoveries, and advancements.

It's what we call, a big fucking cycle.

[MonkeyV]

At 12/27/08 02:17 AM, AshfordPride wrote:

At 12/27/08 02:16 AM, MonkeyV wrote: To enlarge a skyscraper, you must first climb to the top.

Cranes.

Bigger skyscrapers require bigger cranes.

I loooove metaphor discussions!

[TheCatsLeotards]

neat topic, I've actually spent a decent amount of time thinking about this many times. I've sort of come to the conclusion that it's about the same throughout time, with some exceptions. Just your place in time looking back on other eras, you're like "oh shit, I could have come up with that if I lived back then, that's so obvious", but you have knowledge that you take for granted being born now versus 'then'. Now there are some exceptioms though, I remember my english teacher in high school talking about how she wasn't all that good at math and shit, and now all the ed students I know, regardless of what they intend on teaching have to be pretty well-rounded and determined to be a teacher. So I think it might be more... strict for some fields, that doesn't really have to do with discovery, but still.

I might be wrong, but I think it'd be easier to stumble on an invention back then rather than now in some ways, partly due to there being less invented back then- but I don't think that's all that valid, since there are infinite amounts of things that could be made, with technology advancing only allowing for more things to be made. But the fact that inventions could be much simpler and do a lot more back then could allow for more people to create things without much know-how. I guess you could do the same today (invent and create theories and discover laws or things about the natural world), but much more would be done using more modern technology which would probably require more education or knowledge.

That's what I think at least.