Why didn't ancient civilizations harness the power of electricity?

[Drakkith]

What? Either you have a very strange view what innovation is, or this is so wrong, that it isn't even wrong. The easiest counter example is always supplied by warfare. There has been plenty of innovation between the first hand axe and a halberd.

I agree with epenguin, at least in general. There is a pretty clear difference between pre-baconian times and post. The development of empiricism and the scientific method greatly accelerated innovation and improvement in all areas. Bacon himself wasn't solely responsible for this, as it is clear that the 'roots' of this innovation-driven culture had been forming for quite some time, but the tree didn't sprout until Bacon's time and in no small part due to his influence.

 

[fresh_42]

I agree with epenguin, at least in general. There is a pretty clear difference between pre-baconian times and post. The development of empiricism and the scientific method greatly accelerated innovation and improvement in all areas. Bacon himself wasn't solely responsible for this, as it is clear that the 'roots' of this innovation-driven culture had been forming for quite some time, but the tree didn't sprout until Bacon's time and in no small part due to his influence.

You cannot say that people weren't innovative before the 16th century. Sorry, but either innovative means something completely different in English than the same word means in German, or this is ridiculous. Every single culture had to be innovative to survive, and later to develop. The history of mankind is marked by innovations. You basically say that the pyramids could have been built without innovations. We still don't know how they made it! And the zero was a great Indian innovation: they named something which wasn't there! This was several thousand years before Bacon. Innovation is the basic property which enabled us to colonize the planet.

 

[Drakkith]

You cannot say that people weren't innovative before the 16th century.

I am not saying so. Of course there were innovative people. I'm talking about a culture. One with a focused, systematic way to develop and disseminate knowledge, improvements, technology, etc, and one readily accepting of such changes that they introduce.

It's the difference between improvements in a craft being slowly passed through word of mouth and generational teaching, versus improvements being rapidly spread through widespread discussion, journals, mass-teaching, etc.

The word 'culture' is the key word here in 'culture of innovation', not innovation.

 

[fresh_42]

Every invention requires a innovative person. Hence innovations are closely connected to mankind.

I'm talking about a culture.

Sorry, but I totally disagree with this point of view. It was before the 16th century, during the 16th century and after the 16th century until today when what you call a culture was, has been, and is limited to a small group of people who have the luxury not to fight for food on a daily basis. This was true for Archimedes, as it was for Bacon, and is today. The limits you draw to separate a group of persons from the general population, and inventions from innovations are all artificial and deliberately set. I cannot see by any means a turning point in the 16th century. At best it has been the fact that more people than before possessed the luxury to invent. But even this quantitative distinction is wrong, as this group of people grew since we settled down. If anything, then it was the age of enlightenment beginning with the 18th century which set a turning point in the sense that religion, and superstition were replaced by reason.

 

[Drakkith]

@fresh_42 Then I guess we'll agree to disagree.

 

[Flatland]

They did. Look up the Baghdad batteries.

 

[Delta2]

They did. Look up the Baghdad batteries.

Yes certainly they knew a thing or two about electricity, however they didn't manage to get into the very advanced technological miracles like computers and smartphones. Electricity came into heavy use in the world since 1900s and within 120 years our life is affected by electricity so much, that we can't imagine how human societies existed for the prior 5000 years without electricity, computers and smartphones.