The Greatest Human Invention?

[Jax]

I was watching a show not long ago about what was the greatest human invention/discovery in the 20th century and the most popular ones were the Internet, IVF, Big Bang, Human Genome project, Splitting the Atom and Theory & Origins of the universe.

This lead me to think what do you think is the greatest human invention of all time?

Theres so much our species has achieved in a short space of time considering the age of our planet and the universe itself but the one that stands out for me might be a little bending the rule but it has so many different uses I had to choose it...

Science - I believe our greatest invention ever is science itself and it may be too much of a broad term to count as an invention but everything we know every advancement we have ever made and will make is mainly down to some sort of science of understanding how things work and how to use that to create whatever we want.

So what do you think is the greatest invention in human history?

 

[DimesDan]

From a purely personal and narcissistic viewpoint: Insulin.

From a more non personal viewpoint: Plastic - Although I'm sure someone will come in and inform me that that it was invented prior to 1901.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Beer.

Seriously.

 

[VidiianSkinRash]

The spear.

 

[Mr. B]

The integrated circuit.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

From a more non personal viewpoint: Plastic - Although I'm sure someone will come in and inform me that that it was invented prior to 1901.

Celluloid was invented in the 1850's, but this tread is not about the greatest inventions of the 20th Century.

So my vote goes to agriculture.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

Dyson vacuum cleaner.

 

[infinix]

Science - I believe our greatest invention ever is science itself and it may be too much of a broad term to count as an invention but everything we know every advancement we have ever made and will make is mainly down to some sort of science of understanding how things work and how to use that to create whatever we want.

So what do you think is the greatest invention in human history?

umm... science doesn't count as an invention. Science encompasses a huge discipline of a multitude of knowledge. Its not a single invention in the same way as those that you listed.

For the single greatest invention for humanity, it will have to be the written language. Written language allowed humanity to begin to accumulate knowledge and to pass it on to future generations. Without the written language, we would've never been able to build on the discoveries of those that came before.

 

[Canadave]

In all of history? It has to be either starting controlled fires, or agriculture. There's no question, to be honest.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

Beer.

Seriously.

I agree. How Beer Saved the World.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Science - I believe our greatest invention ever is science itself and it may be too much of a broad term to count as an invention but everything we know every advancement we have ever made and will make is mainly down to some sort of science of understanding how things work and how to use that to create whatever we want.

So what do you think is the greatest invention in human history?

umm... science doesn't count as an invention. Science encompasses a huge discipline of a multitude of knowledge. Its not a single invention in the same way as those that you listed.

What about the Scientific Method?

 

[captcalhoun]

the wheel.

 

[Roger Wilco]

The wheel deserves being suggested too imo; plumbing, cement, electricity, irrigation also are absolutely critical to our way of life.

 

[captcalhoun]

^*cough*

 

[RoJoHen]

PS3

 

[Roger Wilco]

^*cough*

Yeah, I wrote that simultaneously with your post and I'm not going to edit it now. Credit to you for mentioning it first though.

 

[captcalhoun]

thankyew

 

[Kirk's_Tights]

Greatest human invention is Sean Connery.

God bless your parents for creating you.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

The concept of sanitation.

 

[Robert D. Robot]

The Romans did give us the aqueduct......

But more seriously, I agree with infinix with regards to written language. The ability to store knowledge, move it, and make it so readily accessible to others in written form must have enabled geometric increase in the rate of technological advances.