UPSB v4
Serious Discussion / The greatest achievement of mankind?
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Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 12:31:09
What do you consider to be the greatest achievement of mankind and why? Here's a few ideas/examples:
My pick for our greatest achievement to date is the discovery of the laws of mathematics. I think in mathematics we have found the greatest, most powerful tool in the universe and without it, much of what we can now know and can do would not be possible.Spoiler
Landing on the moon The transistor Mapping the human genome Language and literature The standard model of physics Quantum theory Relativity. The combustion engine Nuclear energy Flight Music -
Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 12:50:00
Pen spinning, because it's the most relevant to my life.
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Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 12:58:49
^ +1 That almost made me cry
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Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 13:02:09
Greatest achievement in the history of mankind is the development of a technique that formulates, tests, and verifies claims on empirical data. AKA the scientific method Without it, no other achievement would have been possible.
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Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 13:04:54
The greates achivement is the usage of the brain.
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Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 13:43:22
Language. I mean, sure you can communicate without it, but that's only to an extent. Language and the ability to say what you mean is what runs the world.
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Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 13:56:41
There's so many languages that it would be so helpful if there was just one standard one. English is kind of the "standard language" but that means those countries like Singapore have to learn a 2nd language and most non-latino Americans only speak English. I would say that the discovery of the 7 simple machines was "the greatest discovery ever."
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Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 13:56:49
The wheel. Without it, we wouldn't be where we are now.
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Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 14:51:04
ChainBreak wrote: The greates achivement is the usage of the brain.
Not true, some people on upsb didnt achieve that yet. -
Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 15:10:18
Pixels wrote: Not true, some people on upsb didnt achieve that yet.
Only because some people don't use their brain doesn't mean that holds true for everyone. Afterall there's people who invented the electricity, the lightbulb, bridges, concrete, asphalt, railways, trains, etcetc. Not everyone invents it, but one or a few people do. -
Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 15:50:18
Pen spinning, keeps certain people from going down the wrong path of life/the bad path. Since I view pen spinning as something innocent.
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Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 16:08:00
the ability to COMMUNICATE. hands down I win. gg
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Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 16:23:45
masturbation. without which we would still just be animals.
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Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 16:58:00
Reason wrote: masturbation. without which we would still just be animals.
Animals masturbate though... [video=youtube;YYVwVvCn2Zs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYVwVvCn2Zs[/video] -
Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 17:25:10
The question and the answer, forming the ability to gain and advance knowledge, is the greatest foundation. At the moment, the greatest and most successful achievement of mankind is easily the internet.
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Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 18:38:35
^ Euro's got it It's the Theory of Mind. Knowing that people have access to information that you don't Checkout vsauce: [second half of the video] [video=youtube;evQsOFQju08]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evQsOFQju08[/video]
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Date: Sat, Jun 22 2013 19:25:39
shoeman6 wrote: Pen spinning, because it's the most relevant to my life.
+1 Totally agree! :) -
Date: Sun, Jun 23 2013 00:24:51
The greatest achievement was the evolution of humans and their reproduction to create more humans.
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Date: Sun, Jun 23 2013 00:59:07
maybe...the education system. :) Mans desire for everyone to understand our universe is a great thing indeed.
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Date: Sun, Jun 23 2013 02:43:41
I think its the assimilation of mitochondria to generate ATP for cells.
Loanshark wrote: Greatest achievement in the history of mankind is the development of a technique that formulates, tests, and verifies claims on empirical data. AKA the scientific method Without it, no other achievement would have been possible.
societies have gained significant technological progress without the scientific method however =/ -
Date: Tue, Jun 25 2013 22:34:06
Alright, I think a lot of people are approaching this question from a utilitarian perspective and are instead answering the question: "What is the most [B]important [/B] achievement of mankind?" Fact is, there are great achievements that are often overlooked simply because they don't directly impact our lives. These include art, music, literature, architecture, politics, law, important military victories, and so on. IMO: The greatest achievement is the Industrial Revolution. The movement had far-reaching effects and is arguably responsible for all the material goods we use and consume today. It served as a catalyst for the urbanization of agrarian societies. The most important achievement is the advent of modern medicine. Illnesses that were previously terminal are now curable. People are able to accomplish more things without fear of passing away in their 30s and 40s. I look at many classical composers who died very young and can only imagine what they would have accomplished if they had today’s life expectancy.
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Date: Thu, Aug 1 2013 01:45:39
I know this thread is old, but the whole section is dead anyways. the greates invention or achievement of man kind is [B]CLEARLY[/B] me. :D