This is a wee bit like the Columbus discovering America bit. Generally, with some exceptions for novel inventions in our time, we can’t reasonably say who “invented” something and even then it’s fraught.
So ignoring the far out- I mean- it is POSSIBLE that a cave person invented the first digital binary computer processor but the world wasn’t ready so was forgotten- but not likely- so ignoring things like that-
Who invented the light bulb? Which one? Incandescent? Fluorescent? LED? Xenon? Halogen? There are thousands of parents and types and designs and even basic concepts for electric light bulbs and none of the contenders for inventing any of them made the first recorded discovery of the basic principles common to many electric light bulbs.
We usually credit someone as the inventor. Sometimes it is the first person to do it, sometimes it is the first person we are aware did it. Sometimes it is the person who’s invention became most prolific and sometimes it’s who we like most or has the best PR. Sometimes it’s none of those. Many problems though. In most cases there are earlier versions of the implementation of a concept. In how they work, a tube television and a modern OLED television have very little in common- they are almost entirely different devices despite looking somewhat related and both using a screen and some electronics to turn coded signals into images and sounds to project into an environment. .
So did Philo Farnsworth invent the 72” OLED? No. In fact few kids born in the last 10 years in many countries are likely to have seen a TV like what he invented, kids born today on average probably won’t see one at all unless in some historical context.
It gets MUCH more difficult when we start talking about simpler inventions. Humans around the globe have used optical devices at least for a thousand years- more than that even. Many inventions also happen to be somewhat concurrent. It isn’t hard to imagine- it happens in the modern age but before light speed global telecom and media saturation it was more common that things could happen without you knowing about them for months, years, decades, ever. So someone invents a chair maybe 10-40 thousand years ago- you don’t think anyone else in the world could independently come up with a chair?
That a good idea usually made via observation Can be made by someone else?
Ever see an ad or a preview or hear a song or see a new trend or fashion or something and think “I had that idea first!” It’s very probable. You might even be the first. The likelihood of being the first human to have any idea tends to be mathematically slim, but perhaps the first of your time. But… did you invent it? Tricky no? We often say invent or “discovered” or “theorized” for ideas- Newton “discovered gravity..” but…. How do you originate an idea? No one ever in history had a similar idea? Of course not. Part of the process is acting- writing, sharing, spreading, building etc. but….
The entire concept of “invention” is flawed.
In the end- it usually doesn’t matter. Why would it? Often times two or more “inventors” come out with the same idea at the same time or so close that in their own time or later in history it can be a debate or toss up who invented it. That shows you that generally, if XYZ inventor never existed that by and large someone else would have just done it. Arguably evidence often suggests things might have advanced MORE or gone “better” if certain people weren’t credited as inventing some things or had not been the one to release it under the circumstances.
Invention is usually a chain- taking things other people discovered and finding used for them or using existing technologies in novel ways. Often they are a process involving many people working directly together or sharing information or working against each other but taking from the others work.
And more than that- we know as a fact that many things that were credited to more modern (to their time and place) inventors were often invented long before, often lost or forgotten for various reasons, and we have evidence to suggest many other inventions existed in another time to often unknown inventors but someone more contemporary is credited. Things get lost or forgotten and rediscovered. Names and tiles get lost, yadda yadda.
So….
Often times when we talk about “inventions” we are wrong, often times without knowing or suspecting or having direct reason to.
Often times when we speak of “inventions” we have to remember the above- and most importantly- who cares? What difference does it make who invented what? If you’ve never had a Shirley temple or don’t know what that is and you decide to mix ginger ale, grenadine, and a cherry because you have those things or it seems like it would go well- didn’t YOU just invent the Shirley Temple drink? You didn’t use someone else’s recipe and came up with it all alone. The fact it already exists doesn’t mean much. Diamonds exist, so the people who created lab diamonds are just a bunch of losers who didn’t invent anything? Of course not.
And here is the real kick in the ass…ignoring that there are many types of telescopes invented by many people over human history-
Most people don’t know who “invented the telescope.” You’d have to Google it more than likely to even know one persons name possibly credited as a telescope inventor. And what? You gonna call the listed inventor to pick their brain or you need to know who to write a thank you note for or send royalty checks for you home made telescope business to? They’re dead. Almost every single person credited with inventing any type of telescope is dead. A few exceptions, and MAYBE those people are relevant when you have some telescope related issue. Other than that- who cares?
Why would you Google it? Why would you argue it? Are you the great great Great onwards descendent of some supposed telescope inventor and you can’t rest if your family name is defended? Your name… that you share with someone who did something supposedly. Not you. So let the dead telescope guy complain if they have an issue.
But really- why? That’s like someone saying that their car is reliable and they love it and you pull up consumer reports to show it had a terrible score. For what purpose? It’s reliable to them and they love it, but what do you get out of it and what does it help them? Are they going to sell a car that they love and doesn’t give them problems because a bunch of strangers had problems? Maybe but probably not. I doubt most people sell new cars and take a bath to avoid possible problems when everything is great for them.
In all this “woke” “free speech” “cancel culture” mess of crap y’all seem to just forget civility and manners. Like- crazy idea- if someone tells you Oprah invented the lightbulb, nod and say: “that is information I hadn’t heard before. Thank you.” Because…
None of that is a lie. It’s news to you. Maybe not what you believe or know, but you didn’t lie. It’s civil and doesn’t embrace their facts but doesn’t reject them. And guess what…?
You’ve been able to lose your job for being socially inept for all of human history.
“This is my adorable baby…”
“That baby is ugly.”
Try it.
What did you do wrong? At best they gave an opinion and you gave yours- that’s fair no?
At worst they stated a fact that was not fact- 99% of people might agree or you can mathematically quantify the baby is ugly. And what? Asides shitting on them, what have you accomplished? Probably made a new enemy and maybe many. Probably not be thought of as a good person, maybe even get fired.
“This is my baby, me, and her dad.”
“Mmmm…. Are you SURE that’s her dad because…”
Well- maybe the kid doesn’t look like her father or maybe- you’ve figured out is is genetically impossible for that child to come from that parent. Or maybe you have knowledge or evidence of infidelity around the tule of conception etc.
And? Do you REALLY think that is the thing to say? At work? Or even the thing to say at all, especially in public, especially if you don’t know a person VERY well and aren’t VERY close? And even then- siblings and best friends and close relationships have historically had strain or friction when someone a questions paternity. Especially based on a babies looks or such.
So an idea is- unless you work at the telescope museum and are curating exhibits or something- maybe just let it go? AT LEAST five different people “invented the light bulb.” So…. Realize that unless we we are speaking of a specific and exact thing in context- and even then often- who invented something can be debated and there Can actually be more than one person.
So ignoring the far out- I mean- it is POSSIBLE that a cave person invented the first digital binary computer processor but the world wasn’t ready so was forgotten- but not likely- so ignoring things like that-
Who invented the light bulb? Which one? Incandescent? Fluorescent? LED? Xenon? Halogen? There are thousands of parents and types and designs and even basic concepts for electric light bulbs and none of the contenders for inventing any of them made the first recorded discovery of the basic principles common to many electric light bulbs.
It gets MUCH more difficult when we start talking about simpler inventions. Humans around the globe have used optical devices at least for a thousand years- more than that even. Many inventions also happen to be somewhat concurrent. It isn’t hard to imagine- it happens in the modern age but before light speed global telecom and media saturation it was more common that things could happen without you knowing about them for months, years, decades, ever. So someone invents a chair maybe 10-40 thousand years ago- you don’t think anyone else in the world could independently come up with a chair?
Ever see an ad or a preview or hear a song or see a new trend or fashion or something and think “I had that idea first!” It’s very probable. You might even be the first. The likelihood of being the first human to have any idea tends to be mathematically slim, but perhaps the first of your time. But… did you invent it? Tricky no? We often say invent or “discovered” or “theorized” for ideas- Newton “discovered gravity..” but…. How do you originate an idea? No one ever in history had a similar idea? Of course not. Part of the process is acting- writing, sharing, spreading, building etc. but….
The entire concept of “invention” is flawed.
And more than that- we know as a fact that many things that were credited to more modern (to their time and place) inventors were often invented long before, often lost or forgotten for various reasons, and we have evidence to suggest many other inventions existed in another time to often unknown inventors but someone more contemporary is credited. Things get lost or forgotten and rediscovered. Names and tiles get lost, yadda yadda.
So….
Often times when we speak of “inventions” we have to remember the above- and most importantly- who cares? What difference does it make who invented what? If you’ve never had a Shirley temple or don’t know what that is and you decide to mix ginger ale, grenadine, and a cherry because you have those things or it seems like it would go well- didn’t YOU just invent the Shirley Temple drink? You didn’t use someone else’s recipe and came up with it all alone. The fact it already exists doesn’t mean much. Diamonds exist, so the people who created lab diamonds are just a bunch of losers who didn’t invent anything? Of course not.
Most people don’t know who “invented the telescope.” You’d have to Google it more than likely to even know one persons name possibly credited as a telescope inventor. And what? You gonna call the listed inventor to pick their brain or you need to know who to write a thank you note for or send royalty checks for you home made telescope business to? They’re dead. Almost every single person credited with inventing any type of telescope is dead. A few exceptions, and MAYBE those people are relevant when you have some telescope related issue. Other than that- who cares?
But really- why? That’s like someone saying that their car is reliable and they love it and you pull up consumer reports to show it had a terrible score. For what purpose? It’s reliable to them and they love it, but what do you get out of it and what does it help them? Are they going to sell a car that they love and doesn’t give them problems because a bunch of strangers had problems? Maybe but probably not. I doubt most people sell new cars and take a bath to avoid possible problems when everything is great for them.
None of that is a lie. It’s news to you. Maybe not what you believe or know, but you didn’t lie. It’s civil and doesn’t embrace their facts but doesn’t reject them. And guess what…?
“This is my adorable baby…”
“That baby is ugly.”
Try it.
What did you do wrong? At best they gave an opinion and you gave yours- that’s fair no?
At worst they stated a fact that was not fact- 99% of people might agree or you can mathematically quantify the baby is ugly. And what? Asides shitting on them, what have you accomplished? Probably made a new enemy and maybe many. Probably not be thought of as a good person, maybe even get fired.
“Mmmm…. Are you SURE that’s her dad because…”
Well- maybe the kid doesn’t look like her father or maybe- you’ve figured out is is genetically impossible for that child to come from that parent. Or maybe you have knowledge or evidence of infidelity around the tule of conception etc.
And? Do you REALLY think that is the thing to say? At work? Or even the thing to say at all, especially in public, especially if you don’t know a person VERY well and aren’t VERY close? And even then- siblings and best friends and close relationships have historically had strain or friction when someone a questions paternity. Especially based on a babies looks or such.