Origins Of Technology

By Leo Gura - October 14, 2023

I have been extremely fascinated lately by the evolution of humans and their technology. Especially the most early technology like fire, axes, knives, metal tools, bows, fish hooks, pottery, etc. Like, how did humans have the insights needed to invent all these things? It’s a deep question. How does a mind invent a bow and arrow? This is a profound thing which no scientist takes seriously enough. Imagine what it was like to be the first creature on this planet to invent a furnace! Fire wasn’t even invented by humans, it was invented by an earlier species of hominid nearly 1-2 million years ago. Try to contemplate what it would take for a chimpanzee to get the insight to invent fire!

I’m fascinated by how technology was used to bootstrap itself. So I went on a YouTube binge to find all the best primitive technology and bushcraft videos. Below are some of my faves. I find it amazing to contemplate how the structure of Earth allows an animal to go from stone axes to modern high-precision machining. It’s not at all obvious that this should be possible, yet it is. Is it just an accident that a pathway exists from stone axes to rocket ships? I think not. There are so many links in that chain which could have failed to pan out, each one requiring all the previous ones. Try to comprehend this: You could not have a rocket ship unless it was first possible to build a clay furnace. The ingenuity, the intelligence, required to build even the most primitive tools was insane:

And much more:

• Stone Adze
• Purifying Clay & Making Pots
• Clay Furnace
• Charcoal
• Iron From Creek Sand
• Ancient Bronze Casting
• Flintknapping Spearheads
• Bow & Arrow
• Animal Hide Shoes
• Rainy Day Shelter
• Stone Age Woodworking Tools
• Flintknapping A Spearhead
• Baskets

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