Why things might have taken so long

Re:Why things might have taken so long by haZard_OS on Thursday January 04, 2018 @05:35AM (#16069265)

I think that this sort of perspective is (at best) a-historical. I have absolutely no clue how difficult it would be to actually conceptualize "rope" or "wheel" without any of my modern knowledge.

The saying that 'hindsight is 20/20' would seem to be particularly true at the scale of early human invention and civilization.

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Re:Why things might have taken so long by fastball on Thursday January 04, 2018 @06:29AM (#16069517)

  Good luck with making your own wheel or rope from scratch (i.e. alone and naked in the woods)!

This comment (by my interpretation) implies that the process is difficult. I agree with other comments stating the concept is difficult, but the process for those two inventions is quite manageable - even if you are "alone and naked in the woods".

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Re:Why things might have taken so long by TheOtherHobbes on Thursday January 04, 2018 @06:05AM (#16069398)

Exactly. The invention isn’t the physical object, it’s the idea - the realisation that a certain class of objects/processes can be useful in unexpected and open-ended ways.

Wheels are almost useless in dense forests that have no roads, for obvious reasons. So why would anyone waste a day or two making one?

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