Is progress inevitable?

Question

If Thomas Edison wouldn't have invented the light bulb, would we have light bulbs today? Is this true for all other inventions i.e. the Internet or the automobile? If the American Revolution would have failed, would we be a seperate nation today? What about advances in society? If the Civil War hadn't freed the slaves, would blacks be free today? Or maybe, is it impossible to know because what happened happened?

Answer 1

yes it is inevitable.
& so are the backslides of having it.
there is always a room for improvement,
but the windows are always left open.

Answer 2

If so would so,,,, Well one thing for sure if a so and so didn't happen then our world would be different. The difference might be minute but it would be different, that said, the bigger the so and so the bigger the difference.
As for progress still happening in the sense of invention for sure, genie is out and it's not going back in for a while unless something really mega happens. Science leads to other science, I think it is the nature of scientific progres, so what one scientist might miss another See's in a very short space of time.
I also think that if humanity gets the chance it will eventually be in the position to invent anything it wants. But then I'm an optimist..

Answer 3

If Thomas Edison wouldn't have invented the light bulb then eventually someone would have. The auotomobile would be invented no matter what because of the "progress" of chariots to wagons to moving chairs. AR would have failed and we never would have seen blacks. Actually we wouldn't really know, kinda like chess...

Answer 4

Progress is the will of mankind to demonstrate his creations, thus the free will. Progress gets pushed into the wrong direction from lack of common sense, like over population, thus starving babies, people sold and killed, (everyone was) for lack of money and food? This is also mankinds way to progress it may be wrong, example: Mao Tse Tung's theory and now 1 Billion in China? Africa, South America, Arabic Countries, etc., And we in America are getting more and more immigrants for the fact they have no where to live to fulfill their dreams. The American Revolution did not fail and would not have ever failed for man was hurting so badly from being stifled to where his breath was being snuffed out by tyranny and over population then. Birth control should have been addressed then?
But the idealists were in control and the Catholic Church with their rhythm movement? Everyone of the powers at the time felt that they could conquer like a Roman Army with a population of able bodied men. Ha ha, they didnt take in account that the birth rate then and now is 3 to one in favor of female births. That is why china killed the baby girls. Blacks were not free in Africa they were sold by their own Kings, so no they probably wouldnt be free but maybe free to go back to Africa or an Island like Cuba( Amistad, John Q. Adams).
The conquests of man never ends, and the bullies in life unless you take a stand will always win over on the meek, this is what our founding fathers and mothers were willing to die for in this country and did.

Answer 5

Wow! You like the "what if's" don't ya?
I think that progress is inevitable. The president of the patent office suggested MANY years ago that his position be removed because "everything that can be invented has been invented." Well, a lot has come after that time; and I figure a lot more is still to come.

Answer 6

Edison didn't invent the light bulb.

So the next question would be: "if Nikola Tesla wasn't an immigrant, would he have been given credit for the invention of the lightbulb?"

Answer 7

Opportunities are never lost.... someone takes the ones you miss !

Answer 8

seems like we're regressing though. *shrugs*

Answer 9

yes it is.