What was the most important productivity-enhancing technology in history?

Nope.

Bait

Are these "technologies"?

Are "humans" technology? Because if so then they are the most productivity-enhancing technologies.

>Are these "technologies"?
Every mechanism used by humans to cultivate nature is technology, in my opinion.

it's obvious

writing

So slaves are technology?

No. Humans could easily progress without writing tbqh. Just have a proper division of labor.

I'm gonna say steam engine.

The Wheel

The widespread use of computers in storing/processing/updating records probably helped a bunch, definitely the biggest productivity-enhancing technology in recent history. That said, smartphones and the internet have killed a hell of a lot of people's attention spans and work habits. In the long run the effect of computer technology on productivity will probably be negative, and maybe already is.

Metalworking. Metal tools are massively more efficient than stone tools for pretty much everything. There's a reason that steel axes were insanely valued among postcolombian native americans.

The fax machine

>No. Humans could easily progress without writing tbqh. Just have a proper division of labor.

>progress
>without writing
>never recording any history, instructions, or communication

Just have to not falter that's all.

I CAN'T BREATHE

Fire, agriculture, iron and scientific method are good contenders but it really depends on your definition.

I lean towards science because the industrial revolution means humans are no longer simply using what they find in nature but now creating their own machines and even manipulating DNA. China apparently did fine without formal logic so I'm not sure how to define it though.

LookIt was only a minor positive.

The 1880-1930 period was 4-5% increase in productivity for 50 years straight.

The language

Whatever led to the extraction of oil

Dinosaurs dying and being buried?

Domestication of animals and plants

The Steam Engine.

Soon the answer will be Nuclear Fusion

Big Bang?

This whole thread isn't taking into due account the complete worth of being able to substitute older technologies.
For example contemporary container transports can sail without the need of sails and masts. This means that the newer technlogy is such an increase in productivity that it can afford to discard completely the older one.
In other words the total productivity gain of a specific piece of tech is not the same as the net gain on overall productivity.

Slavery is a technology.

Transistor

>language
>technology
That's like saying we invented bipedalism.

>In other words the total productivity gain of a specific piece of tech is not the same as the net gain on overall productivity.

Care to rephrase with numbers?

But are slaves?

Automobile, gps, or pc...i dunno.

unlike bipedalism, however, we've improved our language faculties

user made the point poorly though

PetrolChemistry

Pretty confident we've improved our bipedalism.

I don't have sperimental numbers.

Still,
>> TECH A will produces a 1% increase from year 0 to year 1
>> TECH B makes TECH A completelt obsolete, such that it isn't used anymore, and produces a 1% increase from uear1 to year 2
>> TECH B is directly responsible for a 2% increase from year 0 to year 2

This means that finding a direct correlation between new technologies and overall productivity numbers is a subjective matter (as the observer must arbitrarily decide what is the overall real contribution of a technology at a given time).

qt grills

Mechanization.

The Internet

Definitely not

It's difficult to measure the exact percentage effect, but generally it can be tested.

This, except not for transport, but harvesting energy from nature in form of windmills and water mills.

Fire

Bipedalism

Yeah, if you like error margins.

Better than estimated words molded by adjectives.

Pussy

But if we're talking about a lot of the stuff posted itt there's no real record of their origins making even their margins of error...estimates.

>What was the most important productivity-enhancing technology in history?

Multi-planting seed drill.

Mechanical loom.

Take your pick

Tea and Coffee

CALCULATOR!

We can roughly measure the gain of certain technologies.

For example, the difference between the Watt steam engine and the previous one.

And?

And your point is stupid.

We can measure productivity gains that are attributed to only one technology.

Of course it is rough, and it becomes rougher the further back you go... But the measurement of the percent gain is possible.

Well yeah, anything's possible. Wait, Wasn't arguing with were they? D'oh.

This. We take writing for granted, but it expanded the capacities and reach of the human mind tremendously.

onomatopoeia. *faaaaaarrrt*

th-the internet!