Evolution of human civilization: Has technology made us wiser? | Irving Finkel and Lex Fridman

Quick Overview

Technology has not necessarily made human civilization wiser, as evidenced by the continued relevance of ancient moral frameworks and the destructive power of modern ideologies, suggesting that fundamental human nature and wisdom remain constant or even regress in certain areas despite technological advancement.

Key Points: Ancient Mesopotamian tablets demonstrate that people like the Sumerians possessed significant astronomical knowledge, calculating celestial movements without modern tools. The ancient world's inhabitants, living in a 'rustic environment,' were not necessarily less wise or less capable of complex thought than modern urban dwellers, though their knowledge was localized. The speaker argues that modern adherence to technological progress, particularly electronic media, risks reducing the vitality of human language and thought, comparing it to an addiction like heroin. Modern ideologies like Communism and Nazism, despite originating from supposedly advanced intellectual centers like Cambridge and Oxford, led to immense destruction, proving that intellectual sophistication does not equate to wisdom or moral goodness. The value of language lies not just in vocabulary size (which the guest noted the British Museum dictionary is immensely rich in) but in the ability to articulate fundamental concepts clearly and rigorously. The conversation suggests that human wisdom, tied to moral principles and clear communication, has not advanced commensurately with technological capability, leading to potential societal fragility.

Context: This episode of the Lex Fridman Podcast features a conversation with Irving Finkel, a renowned scholar and expert in ancient Mesopotamian languages and cuneiform tablets from the British Museum. The discussion centers on whether human civilization has become wiser due to technological progress, contrasting ancient knowledge and moral frameworks with modern advancements and ideological conflicts.

Detailed Analysis

Lex Fridman opens the discussion by asking Irving Finkel about the wisdom possessed by the people from whom ancient artifacts originate, suggesting that modern humans might have lost knowledge or wisdom in certain areas. Finkel responds by noting that ancient people, even living in rustic environments away from cities or the sea, still had profound knowledge, citing the ancient Mesopotamians who could calculate celestial movements accurately without modern aids. He recounts an anecdote about the Greeks encountering Babylonian astronomical calculations and being deeply impressed, recording this knowledge before returning to Greece. Finkel suggests that the fundamental principles of human behavior and wisdom—like avoiding adultery and murder—remain unchanged, and ancient people were not inherently 'dumber.' Fridman then pivots to the role of modern technology, specifically electronic life and mobile devices, arguing that constant engagement with these can be detrimental, akin to drug addiction, leading to a reduction in the 'vitality of the human component' and potentially leading to a decline in the quality of thought because people are not forced to articulate ideas clearly. Finkel agrees, highlighting that the richness of vocabulary in the Oxford English Dictionary does not equate to wisdom; people who claim to speak English perfectly might still be incapable of clearly articulating fundamental concepts or moral principles. He points out that destructive 20th-century ideologies like Communism and Nazism, which caused mass death, originated from supposedly advanced intellectual centers, suggesting that intellectualism divorced from sound moral principles is dangerous. The conversation concludes that while technology advances rapidly (like space travel), fundamental human wisdom regarding morality and clear communication seems stagnant or even diminished, making society perhaps more precarious.