Humans are the most creative animals on planet of earth as we have ability of innovation. We have everything which are necessary to invent most fearsome inventions to survive against a cruel nature otherwise. Now we do not see ourselves as vulnerable, yet God like powers, given by our innovations. We have become undoubtable rulers of the world. Have you ever thought how this innovation came to life?
This is an attempt to identify the answer to the question, philosophy of innovation.
It is almost 120years since Wright brothers took their flight to the sky in the first airplane, they built by themselves. It seems that they build it themselves. From the first appearance of it seems so. But the truth is we are not capable of doing such a great complex invention unless we build upon our ancestors. It is much clear that all those failed attempts which occurred before the Wright brothers influenced their invention to avoid those errors.
Let's argue it is not true, for some truly genius inventions by single persons. Often, we see such inventions. Yet we cannot forget, no single human would survive without the love of a mother and the help of a family to survive those early years. Until we are enriched by our language and teachings. Only secondarily we become inventors. And that is our gift to the human race, increasing knowledge, contributed by us.
I am often fascinated by the great minds which creates future for us, it may be Einstein, Stieve Jobbs or Elon musk. there Seems to be fountains of new interventions and ideas working in these minds all the time. How can they harvest such geniuses. Not only new inventions, even great artists of the history, Michelangelo for example. How did he create a great sculpture of David from a heartless chunk of a marble?
We all know about all those great names. But what about unknown names. What about your and my father who build a playhouse for us? What about a builder who build a house and a farmer who grows some crops? They are also essentially building new things. They may not be new inventions. Yet those are unique inventions.
What is the characteristic which is present in both, great inventors of our times and everyone else who builds something?
One such characteristic common to every innovation is that it is an outcome of a suffering of a person. It seems the greater the suffering the more value is there in the item itself.
Imagine Wright brothers, they took great effort and suffering, to build their flying machine. They had the idea of flying. Once the idea is deep rooted, they suffered a lot, months and years to build the flying machine. Once they did fly of course that ended their suffering and that made them happy.
That is truly a negative way of looking at things!
You may argue that that is not true. That they enjoyed every minute of working. Towards their goal. I am not suggesting that it is not. Yet, when we think, that our thoughts carry us to the skies, I just cannot imagine the suffering those thoughts brings upon us that we cannot do anything other than flying. Over the years these thoughts have made us crazy inventors. We build to destroy each other, and now even racing to Mars. And It seems time for us to stop and think and look at our own minds to end the suffering as solutions are surely not written in the space either.
This idea of power of suffering to generate materialistic things was captured in comedy movie Brass Teapot 2012.
Thank you for reading: How new inventions are made? - philosophy of innovation
You may also like to read: Mental objects - characteristics
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