When it comes to explaining the perceived decline in humanity’s progress, Scott Sumner’s preferred theory is that there’s less opportunity today to make significant discoveries. Those who came before us made more discoveries because there was more to discover back then. Sumner uses Thomas Edison as an example; had he been born in our time, he wouldn’t be able to invent as many new appliances because they already exist. Instead, Sumner thinks he would have pursued a different, much younger field like software or biotechnology. Read full article here
Research
Researcher uses AI to make texts that are thousands of years old readable
The Gilgamesh Epic, the oldest work of world literature, has been brought back to life by LMU researchers in the Electronic Babylonian Literature project. Using their new Fragmentarium tool, they have discovered hundreds of manuscripts, including the most recent tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic which dates from 130 BC – thousands of years after the earliest known version. This shows how highly valued the Epic was, even at a late period. With the public release of the Fragmentarium, anyone can now explore the thousands of cuneiform fragments and explore the ancient Babylonian literature. Read full article here
Merv
March 12, 2023
