The Printing Press Redux

As a card-carrying member of the human race, I can attest to the fact through the years of our existence we have done some pretty bonehead things. At the same time, there are those among us who through their intellect, determination and genius who have brought us great pride, too. In the November, 2013, issue of The Atlantic, 50 examples of such instances were identified. Specifically, the magazine brought together a panel of scientists, entrepreneurs, engineers and technology experts to produce a list of the what they call the "greatest breakthroughs" since the wheel. If nothing else, what these men and women produced demonstrated that despite our limitations and imperfections, at times we humans are capable of being pretty wonderful,   

The list consisted of a wide range of game-changing innovations that ranged from the assembly line, air conditioning and nuclear fission to refrigeration, anesthesia and electricity. Who could or would dare argue against any of those? Of the 50 top innovations, it is interesting that six pertain directly to communication. They are: the telephone, radio, television, the Internet, the telegraph and the printing press. The printing press, introduced in the 1430s and which one of the panelists described as the turning point at which "knowledge began freely replicating and quickly assumed a life of its own," was named the number one innovation.

As I wrote several months ago in an earlier blog entry, the printing press was the great leveler. Prior to its invention, information is not something many people had access to. In fact, in addition to degree of wealth and power, access to information was one thing that largely separated the haves from the have-nots. Whether the information pertained to matters of religion, the arts or political science, not only did a relatively select few have entre to information on these and other fields, but they used their access to wield power and influence over the general population. The printing press shattered that barrier quickly and forever. Information, the printing press seem to shout, belongs to everyone.