How to Change the World: The History of Innovation [Stone Age] - Innovation Locks: The 5 Progress Blockers for 97% of Human History
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May 21, 2025 Explore the slow pace of technological progress in human history, highlighted by the unchanged stone axe for centuries. Discover the barriers that stifled early innovation, from survival pressures to cultural resistance. Learn about the pivotal role of grandmothers in passing down knowledge and the unique marriage customs of isolated tribes. Delve into how geography and demography shaped innovation, contrasting development in Eurasia and the Americas. Finally, reflect on the importance of long-term thinking for future progress.
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Long Stone Age Innovation Stasis
- Human innovation was largely stagnant for 97% of our history despite having similar brains to modern humans.
- Societal and survival factors, not intelligence, kept humanity frozen until about 10,000 years ago.
Survival Restricts Innovation
- Survival constraints like calorie scarcity, time shortage, and high risk limited innovation in prehistoric times.
- Innovation requires energy and safety, which were luxuries unavailable to early humans living on the edge of starvation.
Innovation Risks in The Four Tribe
- In Papua New Guinea's Four tribe, nine out of ten violent conflicts start from new ideas.
- A man improved pig pens and was strangled after a child's unrelated death, showing cultural resistance to innovation.
