Questions for Scholars: Population Thresholds and Technology
by Matt B. on February 2, 2010
In Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny, Robert Wright argues that many of humanity’s major technological accomplishments (including agriculture) were achieved in multiple locations at approximately the same times. Some questions:
Does it make sense to think about minimum population thresholds for particular technological achievements? (Think labor pool size, tax base, the statistical likelihood of new ideas, etc.)
My guess is that a hundred other factors also affect the likelihood of technological advancement, (education levels, societal affinity for rational/scientific discourse, etc.) but let’s hold those constant. If population thresholds are meaningful, for which technological developments might they have been most salient, and why?
Questions for Scholars: Population Thresholds and Technology
by Matt B. on February 2, 2010
In Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny, Robert Wright argues that many of humanity’s major technological accomplishments (including agriculture) were achieved in multiple locations at approximately the same times. Some questions:
Does it make sense to think about minimum population thresholds for particular technological achievements? (Think labor pool size, tax base, the statistical likelihood of new ideas, etc.)
My guess is that a hundred other factors also affect the likelihood of technological advancement, (education levels, societal affinity for rational/scientific discourse, etc.) but let’s hold those constant. If population thresholds are meaningful, for which technological developments might they have been most salient, and why?