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Humans and Inventions. Our Intricate Relationship

March 22, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Jasen Obermeyer

Inventions and humanity go hand in hand. Two sides of the same coin.

We as a society and a species are shaped because of inventions. From cavemen discovering fire to attempts at pioneering space travel to colonize Mars and beyond, inventions have been with us side by side through our history and time on Earth.

People like Jeanne Villepreux, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Henry Ford, Leonardo Da Vinci, Steve Jobs, and Eli Whitney, are just some of many famous inventors who pioneered innovation and creation in different fields. 

When looking at architectural creations, it’s astonishing how we humans came up with the means of creating them. Like the Great Wall of China, the I.S.S., or the Taj Mahal. Oh, and of course, the aliens for the Pyramids of Giza. Just kidding.

Technological inventions such as ships, planes, and cars, made traveling around the world possible. Hundreds of years of improving transportation led to the Age of Discovery, mapping the world, and reaching far away places. Communication improved from handwritten letters, through telegraph, phones, radio, television, cellphones, and of course, the Internet. This allowed us to connect in a way never before.

Often, an invention is created because of a problem or a need for a solution. A dishwasher and washing machine to make cleaning faster, and little effort on our part. Often times inventions are designed to make our lives easier, improve them, and entertain us. The lightbulb, farming machines, refrigerators, musical instruments, cameras and film, are just a few to mention. In terms of hygiene, thank God for toilets, sewage systems, and water filters. 

More recently, New Zealander Ayla Hutchinson created the kindling crackler; a rerod metal ring frame with a base and a splitting wedge in the middle. Simply put the wood in the ring, and use a mallet to split the wood. Simple, easy, and safe. Hands free from the wood. And it started as a school science project after she saw her mother nick her finger while using an unwieldy axe.

Other times inventions help save our lives, such as penicillin, insulin, and numerous vaccines, as well as seatbelts, smoke detectors, airbags, life jackets, and plenty, plenty more.

Inventions helped push us forward with the Scientific Discovery, that led to the Enlightenment, a period of rapid social and philosophical change. The printing press helped the common person become literate, and led to the Renaissance. The Industrial Revolution turned many rural agrarian societies into urban giants. 

It’s interesting reading and learning about past world epos, places to show off inventions. I think in our time, Steve Jobs presenting various Apple products was fascinating, because of the way he described and explained the devices. “1,000 songs in your pocket.” Adding that theatrical element gets people excited about the next big thing, and that’s clearly shown when people line up for Apple products. 

But, not all inventions are for the betterment of humanity. In the animated show Futurama, the character Professor Farnsworth said it best. “Technology isn’t intrinsically good or evil. It’s how it’s used.” 

Nuclear power plants create so much energy for us, but the fallout from meltdowns is incredibly detrimental to us and the environment. Zyklon B was used originally for pesticide control, before the Nazis used it during the Holocaust, to eliminate what they viewed as another kind of pest. Airplanes started off as a means of transportation, before World War 1 turned them into killing machines, to eventually rain down fire. 

Oh, and Professor Farnsworth’s quote on technology ends by pointing to his latest invention, adding “like the death ray.” Yeah, some inventions are designed primarily for evil purposes. During war, the drive to invent a better weapon, tanks, ICBMs, all to more efficiently kill the enemy. Swords and trebuchets weren’t efficient, or too big. Gunpowder and artillery are better. 

Inventions and technology may start off for one purpose but turn into another. 

What I enjoy about older inventions is seeing the design, the looks of them can vary. Plus, you see the parts move and work, doing the job it was created for. It actually feels like a living thing. 

But the most interesting part of inventions? Not the invention. The person who thought and made them. You see the creations and wonder how that person came to think of them. From the mind, on paper, to physical creation. It’s amazing. The creators of our world are pushing us forward in many ways, are the brave ones who dare try, are unafraid of the challenge, and make their dreams a reality for us all.

But of course, no invention is perfect. And it takes a lot of trial and error, time, and failure for the invention to work. And convincing others to buy and use it, and deal with competition. 

Anything small brings greater usage and becomes part of our lives. A coaster, or the adjuster on your work chair, to sliced bread. We’re surrounded by inventions. You can’t have inventions without humans, and we aren’t where we are and who we are without them. 

I wonder what the next big invention will be. And who will be behind it?

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