There once was a world without phones or TVs or cameras. There was a time without cars or planes or trains. Not so many centuries ago, people lived—and died—without vaccines or antibiotics, anesthesia or X-rays. Theirs was a world without computers or internet to check what ailed them, no running water or electric light to stay safe inside on a cold winter night. Even after books and typewriters were available to use, many could not read or write.
It’s easy to forget the many wonders that define our modern world, inventions that make our lives more comfortable, more entertaining, more connected across great distances, more healthy and knowledgeable, more safe, more fast and maybe even happier. How often do you hear about someone eaten by a wild animal or entire families of children that don’t live to ten? Thankfully, quite rarely if at all. These are realities resulting from a whole network of discoveries and inventions.
It’s fair to ask if we live too fast, if we’d be better off with less stuff, if we could get along better without the instant gratification of cell phones and the constant flood of social media, whether there was a time when neighbors knew neighbors because they lived necessarily in a nexus of support. I would be remiss not to mention it’s our world of energy, technology and mass consumption that has depended on extracting fossil fuels from the ground, causing rising carbon emissions and temperatures, and putting our long-term survival in danger.
But ours is also a world of great wonder and triumph, and it’s worth reflecting on what inventions mean the most to each of us. Put differently: What invention can’t you live without? My family might tell you that, for me, it’s the phone I’m staring at and pecking many hours of the day. But I’m not sure. Maybe it’s that little espresso machine that saves me on a morning like this, the light switch that I flip when I walk in the door—or perhaps it’s the pen in my pocket reminding me I can always write down my thoughts, even if there’s no electricity, Wi-Fi or an internet to reach each of you.
As always, I look forward to reading your thoughts and for this community to share with each other.
Want to chat with me (and each other) for an hour? Later today, at 6PM ET, 3PM PT, I will be jumping on Substack Chat, exclusively for paid subscribers. If you’re not already a paid subscriber, I hope you’ll consider becoming one and joining that live conversation.
Interesting how many here wisely note eyeglasses. Makes me wonder how many people with bad eyesight injured themselves or even faced untimely deaths before there were no eyeglasses.
I can answer this from several perspectives. Because my loved ones are spread out across the globe, I couldn't live without air travel. Because my psychotherapy practice is online, I couldn't live without wifi. Because I am a book addict, I couldn't live without my reading glasses. And because I prefer cooked to raw food, clean to dirty clothing, and hot water for my shower, I couldn't live without household appliances. On the other hand, one of my lifelong fantasies has been to live in the woods without anything but candles, a fireplace, an outhouse, and the bliss of nature's sounds.
Stents. Having had a heart attack years ago, I literally would not be alive without the 6 that are in coronary arteries in my chest. Done twice, last time, doctor worked 4 hours on one and stent insertion to prevent the need for open heart surgery. Heart attacks are the family killer.
The marvelous, and largest machine ever known to man: the synchronous and interconnected power grid. It is what allows all of us to enjoy electricity at scope and scale that is affordable relative to incomes. It provides the backbone of communications, technology. It is the backbone of manufacturing. It is the single common thread linked to all matters of public health and safety.
Apr 15, 2023·edited Apr 15, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss
My glasses. I got them when I realized I couldn't see the Sea of Tranquility on the moon anymore. And, by extension, my telescope, through which I peer endlessly into the night sky.
The miraculous iPhone is pretty much an extension of my body, bringing me limitless knowledge, news, books, movies, music, correspondence, Lexulous (a Scrabble-type game), shopping, social media, its camera, weather, driving instructions (without which I wouldn't leave my house, my sense of direction is so awful), all the things we use mobile phones for, at the touch of my right index finger (I'm not a thumb typist).
Not that I mean to sound highfalutin, but for me it would be the invention of the printing press. Or, to step back further, the invention of the alphabet itself. As Wittgenstein said, "Language is the house in which we live." Alright, now I am sounding highfalutin, but if not for the means of being able to record language, no other inventions would have been possible.
1941. Our lighting was candles and kerosene lamps. Our prize possession, a Philco radio powered by a large bank of dry cell batteries. That was our high tech.
Thanks for the question. It makes us do a little survey of what our lives are like now.
I always enjoy your work - I am with you with the phone/iPad - After my RA diagnosis & subsequent other things I no longer could work, The iPad & iPhone have been my friend. After losing our Blue Heeler Bowie, these devices have given me connection, given my mind things to fix, share. The ability to give my grandkids air hugs- most of all they gave me the ability to hear the voices of family & friends saying I love you ❤️
At first thought, I’d say plumbing, or refrigeration. But these can be both done without. Being homeless living in the woods and under a bridge teaches you that.
Then I thought about cell phones, computers, tablets, etc. Electronics in general. The radio, television. But, here again, being without a couple of months teaches one that these aren’t necessary, either.
Medicines. One can do without them, as long as they were in excellent health. Me, I was without two months and it almost killed me. I would’ve been dead if it wasn’t for my son and daughter-in-law finding me.
Automobiles. No, this is an invention we can do without. A lot of people in this world are surviving without vehicles of any kind. Even bicycles.
Clothes. Do we truly need clothing? Honestly think about this a minute. Back in the mid 60s, while in high school, I had occasion to be invited to a nudist colony. Now, as a young high school male, running around ‘naked’ in front of God and everybody was an ‘enlightening’ experience. And, it taught me a hell of a lot about life, and free spirited living. I actually had a lot of fun on our weekends at the camp. Yes, I visited more than once. So, in my personal opinion, no, humans don’t need clothing to survive.
Thinking about this query, there’s not one thing. Not one invention, that man truly needs. That takes us all the way back to the beginning of time. The biblical days, with Adam and Eve. Everything was supplied for them to survive. They began the ‘invention’ phase I guess with their own ‘inventions’. Clothing, weapons, and on from there. Items to carry water, food gathered, etc. back to their place where they slept.
So, pick one. Their all important today.
Is there truly any current invention any of us can live without?
My first thought was my iPhone, and then I thought, electricity, but no, planes trains and automobiles or maybe indoor plumbing, medicines, vaccines, TV? But wait! I wear glasses. Without them I would see the world in a blur. And as a very visually oriented person, I would want to see the world clearly, in particular the faces of the people I love. Definitely my glasses!
Apr 15, 2023·edited Apr 15, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss
I am a big fan of indoor plumbing, refrigeration, and air conditioning.
Having had relatives with a "hobby farm" where the facilities were a wooden outhouse, I know firsthand the discomfort and anxiety of visiting an outhouse at night. Spooky. Scary!
I grew up near the north 45th latitude, and am mostly French Canadian in my genes. I was made for more moderate to cool climes.
Now I live in the US South and am expected to do unbearable things like mow my grass when it's 95+ degrees out. It's hard to imagine how people literally slaved away in the fields doing manual labor from dawn until dusk. I'd spontaneously combust. If air conditioning wasn't a thing, I couldn't stand to live here at all.
We have a “relationship.” Actually, I have a toothbrush at every sink in my home. I am a little bit fastidious about my teeth. I want my toothbrush above any other gadget.
That's a really tough question. From the literal "can't live without" I suppose I'd say antibiotics. From the more philosophical point of view and still in the context of "invention" I'd say human communication (whatever form it takes!).
Eyeglasses. Really don’t need all the other inventions. Like to camp in the wilderness. Could not do it without glasses. All the other inventions don’t follow one to the wilderness.
The printing press, for me personally. Professionally, I think the microscope; without it we wouldn’t have verified germ theory which led to an avalanche of cures. I worked in ICU for most of my nursing career. Honorable mention to non-lethal anesthesia.
Apr 15, 2023·edited Apr 15, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss
I would like my computer and phone to do less! Less help putting things where the computer thinks they should go and easier to put things where I want them (and can find them later). I would like less grammar/spelling/word suggestions as they fragment my thinking process. I have tried to turn them off to no avail. And, apps!! PLEASE. It is just more help than I need to keep track of things and to keep my aging neurons growing.
I really enjoy reading, so I'd have a hard time living without books. Books educate me, but they also allow me to experience other places or other kinds of life. My life would be much less enjoyable without books.
What a way to get one to consider and to reconsider!!! At first I thought “No, there is absolutely nothing” I couldn’t do without! Probably true, but... then I considered how lost I get without a gps!!! But I did get along without one and found my way albeit awkwardly! I can read a map!! Well, not without glasses!!! How fun and funny this thinking process went!!! Sort of a backwards way into “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”!!! Seriously though--clean water is the be all and end all of life that none of us can do without!!! Thank you Mr. Beschloss for this intriguing and thoughtful exercise!
this question bothers me (sort of) for a subtle reason: I argue the same point against the current Republican regime. History takes us own a road for a reason. As things change and develop decisions are made and the great masses accept them and they become standards because the general population finds that "they are good." Although I agree that you sometimes need to re-evaluate historical decisions, it is this current Republican idea that all that we have learned and grown with over time is now somehow bad. My specific examples being Roe and guns (like we want to go back to the old west quickest draw wins idea). So be careful in you reasons for wanting to undue the movement of society forward. Be sure there are real changes in considerations before whole re-inventing the wheel and re-digging old ground.
As a South Texan, I’d argue for air conditioning. My father (born in 1928) would tell me stories about living in Houston before a/c -- ceiling fans, attic fans, and wet curtains. Houston is far enough inland that it’s all humidity & no coastal breeze. No way! But that explains the boom in the southern states as electricity and a/c spread.
The automobile. I can't even imagine the number of miles I've logged driving here and there -moving several times -traveling -going to symphony concerts -spring training - museums- hiking-the Grand Canyon -Napa Valley -Seattle -everywhere within driving distance of my former home in Ohio -all over Arizona -I mean -ALL over Arizona!! the automobile definitely! definitely!
As with 1 of your questions earlier this week, I can't narrow it down to 1. I will group together my iPhone and my MAC. My iPad has the same information; but is is not as easily accessible, though it is better for reading and doing word and number puzzle games because it it is larger than my iPhone. My iPhone and MAC have all of my information, my calendar schedule, records of everything. It is easier to work with the MAC when I'm at home; but out for the day, or away from home, I can get all of the information from my iPhone. Then, going in a totally different direction, I rely very heavily on my microwave. For bringing in take out that lasts for several days, heating it up each day is the domain of the microwave. For those times when I know I'm going to have a busy week, or a lazy week, I buy prepared meals at the supermarket and then heat up a portion each day. Even when I actually do cook, the microwave makes meals out of the leftovers. So, those are the things that immediately come to mind. However, if you insist that I narrow it down to 1 invention, I would have to say my iPhone, because it does everything my MAC does and it is totally portable.
Our society is so technologically advanced, interconnected and sophisticated that I don't think we can actually drill down and identify just one part or one invention that we can't do without.
We live in an environment that needs to be taken in as a whole. For me I like and rely on the evolution of our overall technology. What I think has changed is the perspectives and attitudes that have developed because of the easier and more reliable lifestyles we enjoy.
Could it be that life is too easy? That all this technology is taken for granted? We grew up in this environment and fully expect it to keep on supporting us without fully understanding how it does and how it works.
Carl Sagan commented on this by saying "We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology."
Looks like I've convinced myself that the one thing we cannot do without is a robust, honest and comprehensive education system.
To be literal, my eyeglasses are the only thing keeping me alive because I can’t see crap without them
In a modern sense, I cannot imagine going back to a world without a computer in my pocket
Indoor plumbing.
Interesting how many here wisely note eyeglasses. Makes me wonder how many people with bad eyesight injured themselves or even faced untimely deaths before there were no eyeglasses.
Democracy.
Clean water.
I have type two diabetes, and I literally could not live without medical insulin
Books.
I'd say electricity.
But I know how to live without (1960s Scouting).
My wife of 46 yrs... also said electricity and she really can't live without it!
Printing press
I can answer this from several perspectives. Because my loved ones are spread out across the globe, I couldn't live without air travel. Because my psychotherapy practice is online, I couldn't live without wifi. Because I am a book addict, I couldn't live without my reading glasses. And because I prefer cooked to raw food, clean to dirty clothing, and hot water for my shower, I couldn't live without household appliances. On the other hand, one of my lifelong fantasies has been to live in the woods without anything but candles, a fireplace, an outhouse, and the bliss of nature's sounds.
Stents. Having had a heart attack years ago, I literally would not be alive without the 6 that are in coronary arteries in my chest. Done twice, last time, doctor worked 4 hours on one and stent insertion to prevent the need for open heart surgery. Heart attacks are the family killer.
The marvelous, and largest machine ever known to man: the synchronous and interconnected power grid. It is what allows all of us to enjoy electricity at scope and scale that is affordable relative to incomes. It provides the backbone of communications, technology. It is the backbone of manufacturing. It is the single common thread linked to all matters of public health and safety.
My glasses. I got them when I realized I couldn't see the Sea of Tranquility on the moon anymore. And, by extension, my telescope, through which I peer endlessly into the night sky.
Education/Learning, without it, all other things would not be..The more you know...
The miraculous iPhone is pretty much an extension of my body, bringing me limitless knowledge, news, books, movies, music, correspondence, Lexulous (a Scrabble-type game), shopping, social media, its camera, weather, driving instructions (without which I wouldn't leave my house, my sense of direction is so awful), all the things we use mobile phones for, at the touch of my right index finger (I'm not a thumb typist).
Not that I mean to sound highfalutin, but for me it would be the invention of the printing press. Or, to step back further, the invention of the alphabet itself. As Wittgenstein said, "Language is the house in which we live." Alright, now I am sounding highfalutin, but if not for the means of being able to record language, no other inventions would have been possible.
Pacemaker. Stints. No hypotheticals.
1941. Our lighting was candles and kerosene lamps. Our prize possession, a Philco radio powered by a large bank of dry cell batteries. That was our high tech.
Thanks for the question. It makes us do a little survey of what our lives are like now.
Indoor plumbing.
I always enjoy your work - I am with you with the phone/iPad - After my RA diagnosis & subsequent other things I no longer could work, The iPad & iPhone have been my friend. After losing our Blue Heeler Bowie, these devices have given me connection, given my mind things to fix, share. The ability to give my grandkids air hugs- most of all they gave me the ability to hear the voices of family & friends saying I love you ❤️
At first thought, I’d say plumbing, or refrigeration. But these can be both done without. Being homeless living in the woods and under a bridge teaches you that.
Then I thought about cell phones, computers, tablets, etc. Electronics in general. The radio, television. But, here again, being without a couple of months teaches one that these aren’t necessary, either.
Medicines. One can do without them, as long as they were in excellent health. Me, I was without two months and it almost killed me. I would’ve been dead if it wasn’t for my son and daughter-in-law finding me.
Automobiles. No, this is an invention we can do without. A lot of people in this world are surviving without vehicles of any kind. Even bicycles.
Clothes. Do we truly need clothing? Honestly think about this a minute. Back in the mid 60s, while in high school, I had occasion to be invited to a nudist colony. Now, as a young high school male, running around ‘naked’ in front of God and everybody was an ‘enlightening’ experience. And, it taught me a hell of a lot about life, and free spirited living. I actually had a lot of fun on our weekends at the camp. Yes, I visited more than once. So, in my personal opinion, no, humans don’t need clothing to survive.
Thinking about this query, there’s not one thing. Not one invention, that man truly needs. That takes us all the way back to the beginning of time. The biblical days, with Adam and Eve. Everything was supplied for them to survive. They began the ‘invention’ phase I guess with their own ‘inventions’. Clothing, weapons, and on from there. Items to carry water, food gathered, etc. back to their place where they slept.
So, pick one. Their all important today.
Is there truly any current invention any of us can live without?
I don’t think so.
Steven,
Such a thought provoking column for us today. Thanks for insisting that I go deeper into myself to do an update on me now and for my future growth.
Ubuntu,
Wendy
My first thought was my iPhone, and then I thought, electricity, but no, planes trains and automobiles or maybe indoor plumbing, medicines, vaccines, TV? But wait! I wear glasses. Without them I would see the world in a blur. And as a very visually oriented person, I would want to see the world clearly, in particular the faces of the people I love. Definitely my glasses!
I am a big fan of indoor plumbing, refrigeration, and air conditioning.
Having had relatives with a "hobby farm" where the facilities were a wooden outhouse, I know firsthand the discomfort and anxiety of visiting an outhouse at night. Spooky. Scary!
I grew up near the north 45th latitude, and am mostly French Canadian in my genes. I was made for more moderate to cool climes.
Now I live in the US South and am expected to do unbearable things like mow my grass when it's 95+ degrees out. It's hard to imagine how people literally slaved away in the fields doing manual labor from dawn until dusk. I'd spontaneously combust. If air conditioning wasn't a thing, I couldn't stand to live here at all.
Little invention - simple. My toothbrush.
We have a “relationship.” Actually, I have a toothbrush at every sink in my home. I am a little bit fastidious about my teeth. I want my toothbrush above any other gadget.
The ability to give and receive the emotions of love and caring
That's a really tough question. From the literal "can't live without" I suppose I'd say antibiotics. From the more philosophical point of view and still in the context of "invention" I'd say human communication (whatever form it takes!).
Great question.
Eyeglasses. Really don’t need all the other inventions. Like to camp in the wilderness. Could not do it without glasses. All the other inventions don’t follow one to the wilderness.
My titanium shoulders. Without them I would be in agony day and night.
Lots of people have mentioned glasses, and I have to agree. The ability to see things clearly is key to everything!
Eyeglasses, for sure. Electricity, second.
Absolutely my cell phone.
The printing press, for me personally. Professionally, I think the microscope; without it we wouldn’t have verified germ theory which led to an avalanche of cures. I worked in ICU for most of my nursing career. Honorable mention to non-lethal anesthesia.
I would like my computer and phone to do less! Less help putting things where the computer thinks they should go and easier to put things where I want them (and can find them later). I would like less grammar/spelling/word suggestions as they fragment my thinking process. I have tried to turn them off to no avail. And, apps!! PLEASE. It is just more help than I need to keep track of things and to keep my aging neurons growing.
I really enjoy reading, so I'd have a hard time living without books. Books educate me, but they also allow me to experience other places or other kinds of life. My life would be much less enjoyable without books.
The light switch. And a pencil.
What a way to get one to consider and to reconsider!!! At first I thought “No, there is absolutely nothing” I couldn’t do without! Probably true, but... then I considered how lost I get without a gps!!! But I did get along without one and found my way albeit awkwardly! I can read a map!! Well, not without glasses!!! How fun and funny this thinking process went!!! Sort of a backwards way into “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”!!! Seriously though--clean water is the be all and end all of life that none of us can do without!!! Thank you Mr. Beschloss for this intriguing and thoughtful exercise!
Germ theory/sanitation
The Scientific Method.
I would say eye glasses and I’ve gotten awfully fond of indoor plumbing. 😉
Is Medicare considered an invention?
Antibiotics and vaccines
this question bothers me (sort of) for a subtle reason: I argue the same point against the current Republican regime. History takes us own a road for a reason. As things change and develop decisions are made and the great masses accept them and they become standards because the general population finds that "they are good." Although I agree that you sometimes need to re-evaluate historical decisions, it is this current Republican idea that all that we have learned and grown with over time is now somehow bad. My specific examples being Roe and guns (like we want to go back to the old west quickest draw wins idea). So be careful in you reasons for wanting to undue the movement of society forward. Be sure there are real changes in considerations before whole re-inventing the wheel and re-digging old ground.
So many
But
I couldn’t live without running water and bathrooms that flush
As a South Texan, I’d argue for air conditioning. My father (born in 1928) would tell me stories about living in Houston before a/c -- ceiling fans, attic fans, and wet curtains. Houston is far enough inland that it’s all humidity & no coastal breeze. No way! But that explains the boom in the southern states as electricity and a/c spread.
The automobile. I can't even imagine the number of miles I've logged driving here and there -moving several times -traveling -going to symphony concerts -spring training - museums- hiking-the Grand Canyon -Napa Valley -Seattle -everywhere within driving distance of my former home in Ohio -all over Arizona -I mean -ALL over Arizona!! the automobile definitely! definitely!
As with 1 of your questions earlier this week, I can't narrow it down to 1. I will group together my iPhone and my MAC. My iPad has the same information; but is is not as easily accessible, though it is better for reading and doing word and number puzzle games because it it is larger than my iPhone. My iPhone and MAC have all of my information, my calendar schedule, records of everything. It is easier to work with the MAC when I'm at home; but out for the day, or away from home, I can get all of the information from my iPhone. Then, going in a totally different direction, I rely very heavily on my microwave. For bringing in take out that lasts for several days, heating it up each day is the domain of the microwave. For those times when I know I'm going to have a busy week, or a lazy week, I buy prepared meals at the supermarket and then heat up a portion each day. Even when I actually do cook, the microwave makes meals out of the leftovers. So, those are the things that immediately come to mind. However, if you insist that I narrow it down to 1 invention, I would have to say my iPhone, because it does everything my MAC does and it is totally portable.
Screens.
Our society is so technologically advanced, interconnected and sophisticated that I don't think we can actually drill down and identify just one part or one invention that we can't do without.
We live in an environment that needs to be taken in as a whole. For me I like and rely on the evolution of our overall technology. What I think has changed is the perspectives and attitudes that have developed because of the easier and more reliable lifestyles we enjoy.
Could it be that life is too easy? That all this technology is taken for granted? We grew up in this environment and fully expect it to keep on supporting us without fully understanding how it does and how it works.
Carl Sagan commented on this by saying "We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology."
Looks like I've convinced myself that the one thing we cannot do without is a robust, honest and comprehensive education system.
Steve: we do enjoy your musings! Thank you! Question: when did voter registration start in states and Feds?
flush toilets
But we could do a whole lot better taking care of our sewerage.