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What technology/knowledge could you bring to the Middle Ages?
#51
RE: What technology/knowledge could you bring to the Middle Ages?
-Knowledge of Democracy
-Knowledge of Feminism
-Knowledge of LGBT Rights
-Knowledge of slavery being wrong, and racism being wrong
-Importance of Recording History
-Basic Theory of Evolution
-Basic Germ Theory
-Basic information on genetics
-Hygiene
-The importance of literacy
-Ice Cream
-Pizza
-Geography of the world
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#52
RE: What technology/knowledge could you bring to the Middle Ages?
Ive often daydreamed about this topic. Great stuff. I have this pet peeve of mine  its called religion. bugs the shit outta me. Why? well outside of the obvious , indoctrination, fairy tale worshiping, wars, oppression of well....everyone at some point, but the real tragedy is the untold advancements in science that could have been had if the resources that have been devoted to religion over the course of history had been devoted to science. I would have told the powers that be to take all that money and mental power they were using to promote god and instead devote it all to science. If you fast forward from that point to now, i believe we would be having this conversation over interstellar communication because I would be in a space station cafe enjoying my starbucks(oh yeah starbucks will have space cafe's) coffee while using my holoputer and getting a massage by a green 3 boobed alien hottie.
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#53
RE: What technology/knowledge could you bring to the Middle Ages?
(August 24, 2015 at 3:54 pm)Kaiser Wrote: An interesting scenario that was posited on another forum I frequent a couple of years back. The setup is as follows:

Through the mischevious machinations of some god-like entity, you are flung back 1000 years in time to europe (specifically, Britain), 1015 AD. The omnipotent dickhead has granted you immunity to all diseases that exist in this time period, so lack of resistance to plague and such won't be a problem. It has also ensured that you will neither be worshipped as a god yourself, nor will you be burnt at the stake for your heretical ideas. The people will simply readily accept any and all ideas or technology you offer up to them, trusting you as a wise man/woman.
You are taken exactly as you are now, and you will be equipped with the clothing relevant to that time period. None of your possessions are taken with you.
So, with the knowledge of the modern world - however much of it you currently possess, in any areas - what technology/ideas/theories could YOU introduce to the people of 1015?


Personally, I'd introduce the concept of atheism - duh Tongue, or at least expand the notion that those who don't believe in a god aren't necessarily evil and murderworthy.

I have rudimentary knowledge of bacteria and infections, and how to prevent and treat them, so medical technology could be sped up a fair bit.

I could in theory create a ramshackle magnification system, to help people study the microscopic world and, possibly, the night skies a few centuries earlier. At the very least I could provide them with the theory on how to create such things, and set them on the track to figuring it out themselves.

I could help convince them that the feudal system ain't all it's cracked up to be, and introduce an alternative form of governance such as democracy, centuries early for that part of the world.

I COULD set them on the path to creating projectile weapons early, though I'd likely keep that to myself.

As for mathematics...uh...E=MC2 I guess would be my limitation, though again that leads to the development of nuclear weapons, so again...keep that one quiet Tongue

That's pretty much all I can think of for now. Over to you guys Smile

I've actually thought about this question loads, but your way of doing things would be EXTREMELY risky in my opinion.  My first order of business would be to ensure I don't get burned as a witch and to not piss off the rulers of the time.  

You seem to have gone for the opposite idea of going around telling people about mathematics that they would have no clue about while telling them that they should rebel against the feudal system.

I'd explain germs to them, vaccines, whatever biology, physics and chemistry I know, the importance of sewage systems, teach them about brushing their teeth and washing their hands,draw them a rough example of the globe and explain how gravity works.  I'd then hope I don't get burned as a witch anyway for having such extravagant clothing and tattoos and being much taller than most people and try to get a room in the kings castle with some medieval wenches and good food until I died horribly from lack of medical treatment.

I definitely wouldn't tell them that religion or their way of life is bad, you could expect the same results from trying to explain these things to ISIS.


Are you ready for the fire? We are firemen. WE ARE FIREMEN! The heat doesn’t bother us. We live in the heat. We train in the heat. It tells us that we’re ready, we’re at home, we’re where we’re supposed to be. Flames don’t intimidate us. What do we do? We control the flame. We control them. We move the flames where we want to. And then we extinguish them.

Impersonation is treason.





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#54
RE: What technology/knowledge could you bring to the Middle Ages?
I don't think you can ever go in to the future, or past and give any useful information, unless it's instructions.

If you went to the middle ages and said "In the future, most people will be non-religious, we will have computational devices and a worldwide communication network called "internet"

They wouldn't believe it. In fact, almost anything you can think of, if just using word won't accomplish much except in rare circumstances like math equations such as "E=MC2" where you may not physically demonstrate, but can be demonstrated by people who are given the information and in that case speed up the process of advancement.

Otherwise, I really think the most effective thing you could do, if you went back to the middle ages, would be to demonstrate something.

For instance, if I were very educated on how to build computers, and could build them. If I went to the past, I would draw a diagram, and hope they could get me tools, and at least attempt to create a computer but would still run in to conflict with most parts not being developed.


I do not think you can effectively accomplish anything or change history for the better with something as small as a sentence, or paragraph. It's due to the fact that the default position is to not believe something until proven, and if you compare any time period to another the larger the gap in between the time periods, the more extreme and distant your views become, and the less likely someone is to believe.


Actually that makes me think, here's my theory;

The longer time period gap there is from when the original idea was developed, the less amount it is able to change instantaneously. That all amount of change in ideas and theories over time are relative to the time between the originated concept and attempt to change. The longer an original idea goes without change, the more micro changes are needed over time in order to reach the end goal of a new accepted changed view of that idea.
Which is better:
To die with ignorance, or to live with intelligence?

Truth doesn't accommodate to personal opinions.
The choice is yours. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is God and there is man, it's only a matter of who created whom

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The more questions you ask, the more you realize that disagreement is inevitable, and communication of this disagreement, irrelevant.
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#55
RE: What technology/knowledge could you bring to the Middle Ages?
Toilets with indoor plumbing. Do you know how many people, especially children, died of all sorts of diseases that were spread due to improper human waste hygiene?
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly." 

-walsh
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#56
RE: What technology/knowledge could you bring to the Middle Ages?
Quote:I do not think you can effectively accomplish anything or change history for the better with something as small as a sentence, or paragraph. It's due to the fact that the default position is to not believe something until proven, and if you compare any time period to another the larger the gap in between the time periods, the more extreme and distant your views become, and the less likely someone is to believe.
I actually thought about this scenario so in depth that I thought about what I'd say to the person I was trying to convince.
Say if I was to talk to the king, I'd say "Do you know how a suit of armour is made and how they forge the metal?"  Then I'd hope he'd say no so then I could say "Well that's how it is in my time with technology, I don't know how all the stuff is made I just know what it does."
I don't know how well my persuasive speech would even work on medieval people, I'd give it a good try though. I'd still draw them a map of the world, tell them about germs and how the black death is really spread. My old history teacher told us once that any child in our class in medieval times would be considered a genius, I don't how exactly how right that is but it might be pretty easy to impress medieval with knowledge we take for granted.


Are you ready for the fire? We are firemen. WE ARE FIREMEN! The heat doesn’t bother us. We live in the heat. We train in the heat. It tells us that we’re ready, we’re at home, we’re where we’re supposed to be. Flames don’t intimidate us. What do we do? We control the flame. We control them. We move the flames where we want to. And then we extinguish them.

Impersonation is treason.





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