What is the greatest Invention of Mankind?

[Fallbreeze]

*Thought we had another thread on this topic, at one time*

As odd as it may seem, I would say: blueprints.

Before you laugh, hear me out. Yes, they involve other great inventions (measurements, vocabulary, writing utensils, and paper), but once mankind was able to describe their inventions using blueprints, the need for passing the information from a master to an apprentice (and the pitfalls if a master should die without passing his information on!) was lessened. Recipes for items that would have normally been lost to humanity were kept for ones that had the intelligence and skill to reproduce those items.

Just a thought.

[Cridus]

to make love

[Oro]

Since my first choice was deemed invalid
I choose sliced bread

[spooner1]

IPhone .....

[Morgan le Fay]

I would say communication & teamwork. Without these basic philosophies none of mankind would've achieved any of the great things that it has.

[Professor X]

IPhone .....

Apple Computers Inc. .

[Gillivray]

Duh....sliced bread

[Incendiu]

i would have to say the concept of imagination is our greatest invention, because with imagination what we achieve is nearly limitless. without imagination phones, computeres, some great literature, etc. would never have been created.

[Skirata]

Imagination was not an invention though. It is a naturally occurring product.

[Heraclius]

I would say it is a tie between the Printing Press (which I believe someone has already mentioned) and space travel.

The former provided readily producible books and helped to spread the two most important things humans can possess, knowledge and ideas, across the world to people of all reaches of society and all levels of intelligence, caste, or origin. It helped lead to a slow, but eventually all encompassing, resurrection of widespread literacy of people that was lost with the Roman Empire, and I would postulate that the modern world as we know it could not exist without printing presses.

The latter holds very little bearing on our past, but rather shines light at the future. Any hope for the future of humanity on this Earth at our present rate of growth requires outward expanision into space. If we cannot travel the stars (or more realistically, the moons and planets of our inner solar system) we cannot hope for continued growth and will eventually stagnate. "The Earth is the cradle of the mind--but one cannot stay in the cradle forever."