Posted on 04/12/2015 6:20:17 PM PDT by MNDude
If you time traveled back to 1015, would you have enough modern knowledge and education to improve your llfe?
I mean like could you invent gunpowder or serious medical advancements, etc?
I think I could take a few things back 1,000 years and introduce them based on what I know.
- Basic steam power.
- Crop rotation.
- Antiseptic and rudimentary first aid.
- Water purification.
Take into account one basic thing, 1,000 years ago people drank beer and fermented beverages because water made people sick. Basic filtration and boiling alone would make water potable which wasn’t common 1,000 years ago.
Beat me to it!
How about, kill Mohammad
Slightly more seriously, I know enough now to be able to do some things. I couldn’t show them how to build a car, but I could show them how to build a bicycle. I couldn’t stop a plague, but I could teach the people sanitation and pest control. I don’t think I could invent the lightbulb, but I might be able to improve their lanterns.
I keep learning.
I’ve got 1632 saved on my kindle and I’ll start it as soon as I’m done with the long slog through the one I’m reading now.
Bring small pox to the continent in 1015 and let them develop immunities and ways to call with it. Then let thee people develop and see what happens when the Colombus, Pizarro, and Cortes types venture into the Americas. Bring breeding populations of horse, goat, and cow with as well.
I would go for personal survival skills. Unless of course we’re allowed to bring a few modern day things with us. Then I would go for a bit of Metallurgy, Structural Engineering and Hygiene.
I stand corrected, I had only heard that the doctor was Jewish, which turns out to be wrong.
I stand by my point though, that it isn’t as easy as carrying our knowledge back, it takes a sales pitch too.
See if this passes muster with contemporaneous religious authorities:
Disease comes from tiny invisible creatures, as part of a punishment from a deity/evil spirit/what have you...
Problem solved?
Yup. Knowing the truth does little good if you can’t convince others to listen to you.
In defense of those who rejected Semmelweiss, he was a few decades ahead of the revolution that would explain WHY his methods worked.
I’ve always thought it really odd that we’d been looking at bacteria under the microscope for several centuries before they were effectively connected to disease.
By less than 20 seconds, I see!
:)
“One thing which I have always thought amazing is how Japan went from a medieval feudal society to a world power in such a short time.”
No blondes.
At one time, aluminum was a precious metal.
Wouldn’t that get you a featured place in the Book of Mormon?
I actually do think it had a lot to do with the Japanese people’s intelligence and maybe just their nature.
I actually tried to have a discussion along these line with by boss, who’s an expert sailor.
Let’s assume a modern nautical engineer was transported back in time to 1800.
He actually understands the math behind sail plans and hull designs, but has no computers or modern materials to work with.
Could he actually improve ship design significantly>
Couldn’t come to an agreement on the issue.
Zero! That's why it's a respected Principle, but not a Law. It's something that makes sense, and is interesting to discuss, but as of now it carries little scientific weight. Here's a good layman's read on the Principle:
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