Did the Wheel or Electricity make the bigger difference?

[Rometiklan]

Some friends and I were debating the other day: In your opinion, which invention/discovery, has made the bigger difference in the history of mankind, and why? The wheel or electricity?

[dark169]

I'd argue that the printing press did more then electricity.

I'd argue that the wheel isn't really that big of a invention, it wasn't the single thing that cuased a step change in sociaty (argiculture and/or metal working would be better arguments vs electricy). Theres only been a handfull of things in our history that have caused step changes on drastic scales.

Argiculture / metal working
the printing press
effective steam power
electrification

[ragin_pyro]

Hmm..the thing is..the wheel is in like everything..it helped with everything, its such a simple thing, that we think nothing of..at least the circular design, when generating electricity, coils of wires are like wrapped around magnet..that look like a cylinder..

[deep]

None of the things you mentioned would have been possible without the wheel.

The wheel is so simple and basic it's almost difficult to consider it an invention, like many other simple machines (levers, etc.) but it is one of the bases of every kind of technology we have today.

[ragin_pyro]

None of the things you mentioned would have been possible without the wheel.

The wheel is so simple and basic it's almost difficult to consider it an invention, like many other simple machines (levers, etc.) but it is one of the bases of every kind of technology we have today.

Damn lol, that exactly what I was tryna say haha..so basic we dont even think about it..

[Blunt]

If you're calling a wheel an 'invention' might as well say that oxygen is invention too..
did someove actually invent a wheel...

[lithiumli]

i voted electricity. no electicity no RFD ...lol

it's 50/50 right now.... can't wait to see more votes come in.

[b0rk]

without the wheel there would be no electricity. water makes the wheels move, and does stuff. you can't say that for electricity.

[deep]

If you're calling a wheel an 'invention' might as well say that oxygen is invention too..
did someove actually invent a wheel...

I would say it is at least a "discovery" if not an invention, as wheels of a sort do exist in nature, in the form of rocks, rolling trees, etc.. However, it requires inventiveness to make use of the wheel in the ways we do - there are South American tribes who use the wheel extensively in children's toys, yet haven't yet created a tool or vehicle that utilises the wheel. So they definitely haven't tapped into many of the technologies that require the wheel. And, unsurprisingly, they don't have electricity or printing presses or the other things mentioned above.

[FastFokker]

1. The Mechanical Clock.

2. The Toilet* and Modern Plumbing.

3. The Printing Press.

4. Immunization and Antibiotics.

5. The Telephone.

6. The Electrical Grid.

7. The Automobile.

8. The Television.

9. The Computer.

10. Birth control

[Rogue_77]

I took a class like this. All about how one thing led to the discovery of everything else. I can't remember what it was but it was something primitive for sure. Soz I'm gonna have to vote wheel for now. I'll check my textbook on this when I get home.

[danfromwaterloo]

The wheel is such a primitive tool that lack of it would indicate such primitiveness that surely electricity would be useless.

HOWEVER

Without electricity, life would surely not have existed on earth. Without lightning, its unlikely that any amino acids would ever have been produced.

[just_For_ipod]

I'm going to have to say humans made a big difference. If humans were never "invented" :lol: lol, then the world wouldn't be as screwed up as it is now. It made a big difference even though it wasn't helpful. Humans are perhaps the most destructive beings in the history of the earth. Just my 2 cents. :idea: Think about it.

[danfromwaterloo]

The most important invention in the progress of man was the plow.

Before the plow, most of a tribes' existence was on securing food, since all agriculture was VERY labour intensive.

After the invention of the plow, one person and one beast of burden could plow an entire field, and make enough food for many people, allowing for humanity to start to produce "roles". So, if there's 10 people in your tribe, instead of 5 farmers and 5 hunters, you now can have 1 farmer, 5 hunters, and 4 people to do other things. Like make tools, heal, preach, or generally do something OTHER than look for food and care for offspring.

[thelefteyeguy]

The most important invention in the progress of man was the plow.

Before the plow, most of a tribes' existence was on securing food, since all agriculture was VERY labour intensive.

After the invention of the plow, one person and one beast of burden could plow an entire field, and make enough food for many people, allowing for humanity to start to produce "roles". So, if there's 10 people in your tribe, instead of 5 farmers and 5 hunters, you now can have 1 farmer, 5 hunters, and 4 people to do other things. Like make tools, heal, preach, or generally do something OTHER than look for food and care for offspring.

i would say the knife was more important...couldnt build a plow without a knife or sharp instrument...


however sticking to topic...i would say the Wheel...humans have only lived with electricity for the past few centuries...but I couldnt imagine how human life would have progressed in the past few milleniums without a wheel

[CodecX81]

Hmm..the thing is..the wheel is in like everything..it helped with everything, its such a simple thing, that we think nothing of..

In about 10000 years people will say the exact thing about the internet

[danfromwaterloo]

i would say the knife was more important...couldnt build a plow without a knife or sharp instrument...


however sticking to topic...i would say the Wheel...humans have only lived with electricity for the past few centuries...but I couldnt imagine how human life would have progressed in the past few milleniums without a wheel

The first plows were made with wood and stones...

[fakishan]

agricultural made the only difference worth noting. we haven't changed much since then. same homo...sapien mentality.

[Peckerwood]

You are all incorrect.

The greatest advancement in Human history was without a doubt the ability to recreate and control fire and it's myriad uses.

Fire can be used to melt and mould metals

Fire can be used harden wood for spears

Fire can be used to cook foods that otherwise would be inedible

Fire can be used to penetrate and crack rocks and stone slabs for building

Fire can be used to clear fields and then ready them for sowing wheats and barleys

Fire can be used for basic warmth so man could populate inhospitable terrains

Fire can be used to make pottery

etc

Think of how useless we would be without the meager ability to control one of the most chaotic "elements" in the universe. Even with electricity we still have to be careful of starting unwanted fires.

Fire is definately the greatest discovery

[afong56]

well, since the question is phrased as which made the "bigger difference", versus, which was more important, the answer is electricity, imho.

consider that the wheel was around since the stone age, so it had almost all of human history to influence mankind.

now consider the last few hundred years (or less) since the electrical age and think about all of the new inventions and technology that have emerged since electricity was first harnessed by man.

i would argue that man has benefited more from electricity in the last three hundred years than the millenia before that. as far as being a 'difference' maker, i think electricity wins.

[thelefteyeguy]

You are all incorrect.

The greatest advancement in Human history was without a doubt the ability to recreate and control fire and it's myriad uses.

Fire can be used to melt and mould metals

Fire can be used harden wood for spears

Fire can be used to cook foods that otherwise would be inedible

Fire can be used to penetrate and crack rocks and stone slabs for building

Fire can be used to clear fields and then ready them for sowing wheats and barleys

Fire can be used for basic warmth so man could populate inhospitable terrains

Fire can be used to make pottery

etc

Think of how useless we would be without the meager ability to control one of the most chaotic "elements" in the universe. Even with electricity we still have to be careful of starting unwanted fires.

Fire is definately the greatest discovery

huk... :rolleyes:

[deep]

You are all incorrect.

The greatest advancement in Human history was without a doubt the ability to recreate and control fire and it's myriad uses.

But at least we can read. Where is fire in that poll?

Pompous twit.

[UrbanPoet]

The thing with the printing press is that it challenged IDeas..
Its not really the printing press itself but rather the Spreading of information.
It allows people to share ideas. It allows themto challenge other ideas and create new theories and innovations.

[coomar]

The most important invention in the progress of man was the plow.

Before the plow, most of a tribes' existence was on securing food, since all agriculture was VERY labour intensive.

After the invention of the plow, one person and one beast of burden could plow an entire field, and make enough food for many people, allowing for humanity to start to produce "roles". So, if there's 10 people in your tribe, instead of 5 farmers and 5 hunters, you now can have 1 farmer, 5 hunters, and 4 people to do other things. Like make tools, heal, preach, or generally do something OTHER than look for food and care for offspring.

not true, agriculture originated in the golden crescent, the wild grains there still produced a significant enough amount of food to cause the switch from hunter gatherer but this was also the product of diminishing hunting (they had 4 out the 5 primary domestic animals but only really gazalles for hunting), irrigation and the plow are more extensions of the whole agriculture thing

the specialist is the key to civilization and he only starts to exist in an agricultural society

even the green revolution which made India a small exporter of food was a huge step

[dark169]

For those who think the wheel is more impressive becuase it allows everything we have today, why stop at the wheel, simple rope came before the wheel, stone tools before, understanding of fire...

If you look at the time frames shortly before and shortly after (+/- 100 years) the wheel doesn't really effect sociaty a whole lot. But like some of the things I mentioned above harnising electricity changed the world.

The wheel is on of many simple tools we harnessed early on, but hardly earth shattering by itself. Just like the humble bolt, nail, or lever, everywhere but not the turning point.

[Daemar]

Think about it this way... what can we live without?

Without electricity, life gets harder but we can still get by.
No wheel, and life becomes a standstill both literally and realistically.

[coomar]

no electricity, no life on earth, game over

[gei]

Not really a fair invention. The wheel was a much more obvious discovery.

[corrupt123]

I dont really think the wheel was 'invented' per-se. More like, just happened to be created. Maybe an accidental invention at best. Unless pre-historic humans really were dumb enough to not realize something round would roll better then any other shape.

As for time... Imagine if we had had electricity for as long as we had had the wheel? We've come further int he last 100 years then civilization did prior to that, all put together. Imagine that multiplied by however many times.

[BadDrafter]

Without the idea of the wheel, the shaft and the turbine/generator would have never happened. We would not have electricity.

Obviously the wheel.

[Rometiklan]

Interesting debate so far. I should have put in a disclaimer, but in my haste I forgot to add it. I'm not asking what is the most important discovery/invention in the history of mankind. I am asking between electricity and the wheel, which was more important.

[Nemodigital]

If you're calling a wheel an 'invention' might as well say that oxygen is invention too..
did someove actually invent a wheel...
Actually it is an invention... North American natives didnt posses that technology and neither did many other civilizations.

[PrimoTurbo]

Rotating crops for farming was pretty big and I saw in some movie that it pretty much began the industrial revolution. Also transportating via cannels to remote places or something.

[Peckerwood]

But at least we can read. Where is fire in that poll?

Pompous twit.
Hey...I resemble that remark

:D

[Rosico]

Ha, I feel like we are playing a forum based game of Civ IV and trying to decide what tech tree to follow.

Oh, and I think electricity was more important.

[Evil Baby]

I would say by far the wheel is more important. The wheel is the basis of so many things. Open almost anything up and you will see a "wheel' of some kind. A pullie that allows anything to move. The wheel is used in almost every part of our life.


Would I want to live in a world without electricity? Hells no!

But I think it would be more tolerable than a life wihout a wheel. Transportation would be difficult, moving heavy objects would require hundreds of slaves, telling accurate time would be impossible. The mere thought of electricy would not be plausible. No turbine would be able to exists. Without turbines I don't think we could have electricity on a large scale.

[Emancipated]

If you're calling a wheel an 'invention' might as well say that oxygen is invention too..
did someove actually invent a wheel...


Why not? Everything Einstein theorized existed before he made the great leap of conceptualizing it. What I get from you is that the wheel was there and man simply stumbled upon it. Probably bad analogies, but as it's been said, the wheel is fundamental in everything we use.

[poedua]

I would say by far the wheel is more important. The wheel is the basis of so many things. Open almost anything up and you will see a "wheel' of some kind. A pullie that allows anything to move. The wheel is used in almost every part of our life.


Would I want to live in a world without electricity? Hells no!

But I think it would be more tolerable than a life wihout a wheel. Transportation would be difficult, moving heavy objects would require hundreds of slaves, telling accurate time would be impossible. The mere thought of electricy would not be plausible. No turbine would be able to exists. Without turbines I don't think we could have electricity on a large scale.

I'd agree. Wheel it is.

I had a chance to meet some members of the Mennonite community when I was helping someone rebuild their home after that tornado touched down near Guelph / Fergus awhile back.

From what i could see, the " old school " Mennonites can live quite fine without electricity, but the wheel ( ie. horse and buggy, farming etc. ) seems to be of greater benefit to them in their daily lives.

Great societies exisited and flourished before the discovery of electricty...not so sure how many did so before the introduction of the wheel. :)

[thelefteyeguy]

wow...it's still around 50-50 in the polls

[Captin Howdy]

electricity

without it we wouldn't have RFD

[thelefteyeguy]

electricity

without it we wouldn't have RFD

without the wheel...how would ppl get to work at electical plants/RFD headquarters? walk? wuahaha...

[gilboman]

agriculture is the biggest difference maker. it allowed us to seperate ourselves from the land and do other stuff like inventing the printing press, or the wheel or electricity ;) if not for agriculture, everybody would just be substience farming.

[afong56]

Interesting debate so far. I should have put in a disclaimer, but in my haste I forgot to add it. I'm not asking what is the most important discovery/invention in the history of mankind. I am asking between electricity and the wheel, which was more important.


well, in that case, i change my vote. oh wait, i can't. oh well.

if it comes down to which of the two was 'more important', then the wheel wins, hands down.

[ElChico]

So these are the options

a) without electricity we'd all be mennonites doing the horse and buggy thing.

I vote no.

b) without wheels...okay so no cars or trains, but we'd be traveling in something different. Such as...

Maglev
http://www.geocities.com/nastywik/maglev-japan-bg.jpg

Mechs
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/8641/mechs.jpg

And Hover cars
http://www.webbedenvironments.com/images/articles/flyingCar1.jpg


Well I'm gonna keep the electricity ;)

[thelefteyeguy]

So these are the options

a) without electricity we'd all be mennonites doing the horse and buggy thing.

I vote no.

b) without wheels...okay so no cars or trains, but we'd be traveling in something different. Such as...

Maglev
http://www.geocities.com/nastywik/maglev-japan-bg.jpg



Well I'm gonna keep the electricity ;)

i'd bet the train has wheels on the sliding door mechanism....unless you want to ride the train from the top (and it has recessed wheels in case of emergency...and to bring the train on the raised platform.

mechs, and hover cars...i havent seen any on the street yet

[ElChico]

i'd bet the train has wheels on the sliding door mechanism....unless you want to ride the train from the top

mechs, and hover cars...i havent seen any on the street yet

I think it's a hydralic swing latch (kinda like an aeroplane)...and if it's not that it would be what they would use without a wheel.

There are Mech prototypes...
Check the video on this page (http://digitalcamera.101reviews.com/news/worlds-1st-mech-warrior-becomes-reality)

besides, necessity is the mother of invention, if man needed mechs or hover cars they'd be here today.